Bell 47G 3B 1 N4002G

Summary

On 3 August 2015 at about 21:00 local time, a Bell 47G 3B 1 registered N4002G, operated by Ewing Flying Service LLC, was involved in an accident near Camden, Alabama, 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

3 August 2015 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Camden, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Forrested Clearing (NONE)

Coordinates

31.8875, -87.0558

Aircraft

Bell 47G 3B 1

Registration

N4002G

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Ewing Flying Service LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Thomaston → Oak Hill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA296

Nobody was injured.

A failure of the helicopter's hydraulic flight control systems for reasons that could not be determined due to the fire damage, and the pilot's inability to turn off the hydraulic system to relieve control pressure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was repositioning the helicopter in preparation for spraying operations the next day. He reported that, about 1/2 mile from the intended off-airport landing area, while at an altitude of 300 ft above ground level, the helicopter's cyclic control became very stiff, consistent with a hydraulic system failure. He continued the approach to the landing zone, which was a cleared area of forest that contained brush, fallen trees, and dirt mounds. During the approach, he unsuccessfully attempted to follow the procedure to relieve hydraulic system control pressure, which included turning off the hydraulic system switch, but was unable to remove his hands from the controls and also maintain control of the helicopter. He ultimately elected to land without turning off the hydraulic system switch. During the landing, a portion of the helicopter's agricultural spray boom contacted the trees and brush, and the helicopter yawed to the left. The helicopter then began to oscillate as its skids contacted the uneven ground and obstructions before it ultimately rolled over, impacted the ground and caught fire. Fire damage to the engine and hydraulic system components precluded a postaccident examination, and its mode of failure could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.