Bell 47G N14841

Summary

On 3 January 2013 at about 22:25 local time, a Bell 47G registered N14841, operated by Marquis Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Five Points, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 January 2013 at 22:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Five Points, California, United States

Coordinates

36.1996, -120.0899

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N14841

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Marquis Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Five Point → Five Point

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13CA084

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance with a telephone pole during a low-level maneuver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after takeoff for the aerial application flight, he made a standard turn to line up with the field to be sprayed and began to descend to fly under two sets of powerlines. He then observed a telephone pole to the right and thought he had plenty of clearance to avoid it. He then heard and felt the impact of a main rotor blade strike the pole. The helicopter yawed to the right before it impacted the ground, rolled forward, and came to rest on its left side. The helicopter was destroyed. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.