Bell 47G N6260C

Summary

On 31 July 2011 at about 18:00 local time, a Bell 47G registered N6260C, operated by Agra Fly, 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.

Date

31 July 2011 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Porterville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Porterville Municipal Airport (KPTV)

Coordinates

36.0589, -119.0167

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N6260C

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Agra Fly

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Porterville → Porterville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA394

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to takeoff in a tailwind condition, and his subsequent failure to attain sufficient lift during the takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the agricultural operation he landed the helicopter into the wind to reload with fuel and agricultural chemicals. While the loader was mixing the chemicals, the pilot noted that the wind shifted to a tailwind condition. The pilot also noted that the rotor blades were dirty, but he forgot to clean them before departure. During the takeoff, the helicopter was unable to gain any lift and it started to sink back to the ground. The helicopter impacted the ground moments after takeoff with a slight nose low attitude which resulted in the skids collapsing and the main rotor blades contacting the tailboom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.