Bell 47G N96671

Summary

On 17 April 2019 at about 16:08 local time, a Bell 47G registered N96671, operated by Hendrickson Flying Service, was involved in an accident near Donna, Texas, 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

17 April 2019 at 16:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Donna, Texas, United States

Coordinates

26.2044, -98.0517

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N96671

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Hendrickson Flying Service

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Weslaco → Weslaco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA216

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during an agricultural application flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that, during an agricultural application flight and while heading east about 3 ft above ground level, the "wind suddenly shifted, a gust of wind [came] from the west," and the helicopter "settled." The pilot increased power and raised the collective, but the helicopter impacted terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that the helicopter was equipped with a muffler, which he believed adversely affected the engine's performance. However, correspondence with the helicopter's certificate holder stated that there would "be no reduction of horsepower with the muffler installed if done as per the instructions per the STC [supplemental type certificate]." An automated weather observation station located 5 nautical miles east of the accident site reported that, about 8 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots and that, about 32 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 180° at 16 knots, gusting to 26 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.