Bell 47G-2A N4774S
20 July 2003 · Porterville, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 July 2003 at about 08:30 local time, a Bell 47G-2A registered N4774S, operated by Johns Aerial Spraying, was involved in an accident near Porterville, California, 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 08:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Porterville, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.1317, -119.2150
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2A
- Registration
- N4774S
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Johns Aerial Spraying
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Porterville → Porterville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX03LA236
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
Fatigue-induced failure of bolts in the helicopter's rotor drive flange, which resulted in a total loss of torque to the rotor drive shaft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During an agricultural spray flight, when the helicopter's drive system disconnected from the engine, the helicopter yawed and descended about 10 feet into the underlying cotton field. The helicopter rolled upon impacting the uneven terrain. Prior to the event, the pilot heard the transmission make a loud noise and the engine oversped. The helicopter's drive system was examined, and 12 bolts on the planetary gear flange were found broken due to fatigue.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 2003 | Bell 47G-3B-2 | Monmouth, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Bell 47D | Princetown, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2003 | Bell 47-G4 | Porterville, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 May 2003 | Bell 47G-4 | Robinson, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Oct 2003 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Schaumburg, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2003 | Bell 47G-2A | Jackson, New Jersey, United States | East Coast Helicopter Inc | No injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2003 | Cessna 414 | Palm Springs, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2003 | Omf OMF-100-160 | Van Nuys, California, United States | Alliance International | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Salinas, California, United States | Squadron 2 | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2003 | Beechcraft A36TC | Visalia, California, United States | John Rodgers | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2003 | Cessna 150F | Reedley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2003 | McClanahan STITS PLAYMATE SA-11 | Fontana, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |