Bell 47G-3B-1 N73909
23 June 2004 · Medford, Oregon, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 June 2004 at about 16:00 local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 registered N73909, operated by Pacific Air Research, was involved in an accident near Medford, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Medford, Oregon, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.2247, -122.9667
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Registration
- N73909
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Pacific Air Research
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Medford → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA04LA114
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree while maneuvering. Trees were a factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that while flying over mountainous terrain with a slight slope on the last pass of aerial application spraying, the helicopter struck a snag (dead tree). The engine lost power and the helicopter collided with the terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Aug 2004 | Bell 47G-5 | Bunnell, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Aug 2004 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Troy, Texas, United States | Brazos Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 2004 | Bell 47G-4A | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 2004 | Bell 47-G3B2 | Salome, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Feb 2004 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2004 | Bell 47-G2 | La Porte, Texas, United States | Dwain Ray McDonald | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Mar 2004 | Cessna 172N | Creswell, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 2004 | Piper PA-18 | Sisters, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2004 | Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A | Burns, Oregon, United States | United States Forest Service | No injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 2004 | Maule MX-7-235 | Hermiston, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 2004 | Cessna A185F | Molalla, Oregon, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Aug 2004 | Piper PA-24-260 | Redmond, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |