Bell 47G-4A N24HM

Summary

On 18 June 2011 at about 23:45 local time, a Bell 47G-4A registered N24HM, operated by Rhineland Grain Inc, was involved in an accident near Montgomery City, Missouri, 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

18 June 2011 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Montgomery City, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

39.0128, -91.4194

Aircraft

Bell 47G-4A

Registration

N24HM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Rhineland Grain Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montgomery City → Montgomery City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA403

Nobody was injured.

A loss of control during the precautionary landing, which resulted in inadvertent contact between the main rotor and the tailboom. Contributing to the accident was the overloaded condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had returned from an agricultural application to reload the cleaning solution. Unbeknownst to the pilot, the helicopter was loaded with approximately 90 gallons of solution, instead of the expected 70 gallons for the flight. The pilot reported that he increased engine power and lifted off; however, immediately after lift off the engine and rotor speed began to decrease. He selected a suitable landing point and flared for touchdown about 10 feet above ground level to minimize the forward speed. The helicopter touched down on the rear portion of the landing skids and began to pitch forward. He applied aft cyclic control to prevent the helicopter from nosing over. He subsequently heard a bang and observed debris coming from the aircraft. He shut down the engine and secured the helicopter. A postaccident examination revealed that the main rotor had struck the tailboom resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot said the helicopter may have been on a slight incline when the solution was loaded, allowing the right side tank to fill more than the left side tank. He was unaware of the overload condition. The pilot added that closer monitoring of the helicopter and chemical truck incline, and the final amount of solution being loaded onto the helicopter, might have prevented the accident. The pilot did not report any failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.