Bell 47G-2 N444EH

Summary

On 14 August 2012 at about 14:10 local time, a Bell 47G-2 registered N444EH was involved in an accident near Flandreau, South Dakota, United States. 2 people were 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

14 August 2012 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Flandreau, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Flandreau Municipal (4P3)

Coordinates

44.0486, -96.7150

Aircraft

Bell 47G-2

Registration

N444EH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flandreau → Colman

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA557

Nobody was injured.

A malfunction of the helicopter’s throttle system, which resulted in a loss of engine power during cruise flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the helicopter lost engine power during cruise flight. He initiated an autorotation; however, the only available landing area was a pasture that resulted in a tailwind approach and landing. The landing from the autorotation was reportedly a “little rough,” and the helicopter bounced and rolled onto its left side. A postaccident examination revealed that the throttle system did not operate properly. Specifically, the hand grip on the collective throttle control was loose and the throttle cable was not free to move within the conduit. The conduit did not appear to be deformed or damaged in a manner that would have prevented movement of the cable. The throttle conduit was replaced about 3 months before the accident; however, the existing throttle cable was reinstalled with the new conduit. A brief operational test of the throttle system was successfully conducted after that maintenance and the helicopter was subsequently operated for more than 25 hours without incident before the accident occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.