Bell 47G-3B-1 N360SS

Summary

On 12 September 2007 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 registered N360SS was involved in an accident near Avondale, Colorado, 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.

Date

12 September 2007 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Avondale, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.0833, -104.4333

Aircraft

Bell 47G-3B-1

Registration

N360SS

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Avondale → Avondale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07LA155

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to attain translational lift and his improper flare. A contributing factor in this accident was the sudden wind shift.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot took off downhill with no wind. The wind shifted to the west to a tailwind of 10 to 12 knots. The pilot said he was "unable to gain effective translational lift" and he attempted to land with a forward speed of 5 to 6 mph. He attempted to stop the helicopter but in doing so, "the tail skid struck the ground at the same time the skids did. Then the aircraft lurched forward, causing the main rotor to come in contact with the tail boom." The tail boom was severed and the skids were broken torsionally from the airframe.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.