Bell 47G N73224

Summary

On 18 October 2015 at about 15:30 local time, a Bell 47G registered N73224, operated by US Helicopter LLC., was involved in an accident near Searchlight, Nevada, 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

18 October 2015 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Searchlight, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

35.4886, -115.0000

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N73224

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1962

Engines

1

Operator

US Helicopter LLC.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Searchlight → Searchlight

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA055

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a tree during hover flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a helicopter reported that during a 10 foot hover, he encountered a gust of wind and felt the tail rotor impact a tree. The pilot initiated an autorotation, but the main rotor impacted the tail boom during the descent and the helicopter rolled over after touchdown. The main rotor and tail boom were substantially damaged. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.