Bell 47G-4A N4087L
15 July 2005 · Black Oak, Arkansas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 July 2005 at about 18:45 local time, a Bell 47G-4A registered N4087L, operated by Custom Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Black Oak, Arkansas, 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 18:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Black Oak, Arkansas, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.8298, -90.3605
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4A
- Registration
- N4087L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Custom Air LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Manilla → Black Oak
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW05LA190
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The 10,370-hour commercial pilot was spraying the south end of a cotton field on a easterly heading at approximately 10 feet above the ground, when he heard the "engine [make] a surge in power." The pilot then scanned his engine instruments to see if he was having a problem, and all instrument indications were normal. The pilot then increased collective pitch after the helicopter began to lose altitude; however, the helicopter could not gain altitude. The helicopter impacted the ground in a level attitude, bounced into the air and began turning to the left. The pilot added left cyclic and thought he had the helicopter under control, when the left spray boom hit the cotton plants and started pulling the helicopter into the cotton. The helicopter subsequently "snapped" to the right and "started to tumble." The helicopter impacted terrain and came to rest on its right side. The reason for the reported engine power surge could not be determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2005 | Bell 47G | Swifton, Arkansas, United States | Sissom and Woods Farms, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2005 | Bell 47G-2A | Oroville, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2005 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 2005 | Bell 47G-3B | Summerville, Tennessee, United States | Billy G Meeks | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2005 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Brewster, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 May 2005 | Bell 47G-5A | Brush, Colorado, United States | Joel Marwitz | No injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2005 | Bell 206-L1 | Gentry, Arkansas, United States | Air Evac Lifeteam | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Jun 2005 | Cessna A188B | Truman, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 2005 | Grumman-Schweizer G-164C | Gillett, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2005 | Grumman G-164 | Knobel, Arkansas, United States | Corning Farm Supply, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2005 | Hiller UH-12E | Hampton, Arkansas, United States | Summit Helicopters Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 2005 | Air Tractor AT-402 | Dumas, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |