Bell 47G-5A N14838
26 April 2002 · La Belle, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 April 2002 at about 13:05 local time, a Bell 47G-5A registered N14838 was involved in an accident near La Belle, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Belle, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.7442, -81.4331
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-5A
- Registration
- N14838
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Belle → La Belle
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL02LA094
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance of a tree while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with the tree and subsequent uncontrolled descent and collision with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was executing herbicide swath runs about six feet above the ground at 25 to 30 mph. As the pilot maneuvered to clear a tree on the bank of a ditch the main rotor blades became entangled in the branches approximately 25 to 30 feet above the ground. Upon contact with the tree, the helicopter's rpm decayed rapidly, and the helicopter fell into the ditch. There were no mechanical problems reported by the pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 2002 | Bell 47G-2A-1 | Jordan, Minnesota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2002 | Bell 47G-2 | Edmondson, Arkansas, United States | Ag Copters Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Aug 2002 | Bell 47-D1 | Union, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2002 | Bell 47G-2 | Oasis, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 2002 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Panaca, Nevada, United States | Bureau of Land Managment | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 2002 | Bell 47G | Marion, Alabama, United States | Aerial Application Technologies LLC | No injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2002 | Cessna 182Q | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2002 | Agusta A119 | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2002 | Cessna 172P | Lutz, Florida, United States | Troy Mason Heidel | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Beagle B-206 SERIES 2 | McAlpin, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Jan 2002 | Mooney M20J | Lake Placid, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Piper PA-46-310P | Osteen, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |