Bell 47G 2A N47DT
18 July 2014 · Merced, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 18 July 2014 at about 14:38 local time, a Bell 47G 2A registered N47DT, operated by Bettencort Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Merced, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Merced, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.2953, -120.5322
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G 2A
- Registration
- N47DT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Bettencort Flying Service Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Merced → Merced
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR14CA296
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to adequately monitor the environment to maintain clearance from the power pole guide wire during low level maneuvering.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The operator reported that the helicopter struck a power pole guide wire while the pilot was conducting agriculture application operations. The wire was located on the edge of the field that was being sprayed, running perpendicular to the direction of flight. The wire was about 20 feet above ground level. The helicopter was substantially damaged and a post accident fire occurred. The operator reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 2014 | Bell 47G 5A | Greenfield, California, United States | Wilbur-Ellis Co | No injuries | - |
| 3 May 2014 | Bell 47G | El Monte, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2014 | Bell 47G 2 | Jeanerette, Louisiana, United States | Penn TEX Helicopters Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 May 2014 | Bell 47G | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2014 | Bell 47G 5 | Mansfield, Illinois, United States | Reynolds Aerial Service LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Jul 2014 | Bell 47G | Gaston, Oregon, United States | Western Helicopter Services Inc | No injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 2014 | Scaled Composites 339 | Koehn Dry Lake, California, United States | Scaled Composites LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Jun 2014 | Cessna 180H | Hesperia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2014 | Eurocopter AS 350 B3 | Lincoln, California, United States | California Highway Patrol | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2014 | McDonnell Douglas 600N | Adelanto, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2014 | Air Tractor AT 502B | Princeton, California, United States | Michaud Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2014 | Cessna 210E | Richmond, California, United States | Sanders Aircraft Inc | Fatal | 1 |