Bell 47G N6064H

Summary

On 28 August 2019 at about 00:16 local time, a Bell 47G registered N6064H was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 2 people were 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

28 August 2019 at 00:16

Classification

Accident

Location

North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

North Las Vegas (VGT)

Coordinates

36.2069, -115.2006

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N6064H

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19TA245

Nobody was injured.

The noncertificated passenger’s loss of control during attempted hover operations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the flight before the accident, the pilot of the helicopter observed that the engine would not produce adequate power to keep the rotor rpm within the green arc of the tachometer, and witnesses reported hearing backfiring from the engine. The pilot sought the assistance of an acquaintance to help him perform maintenance on the helicopter. The acquaintance told the pilot that he was a commercial pilot with 3,000 hours of flight experience in helicopters, and 300 hours in the accident helicopter make and model. After performing maintenance on the helicopter, they relocated the helicopter to a helipad and boarded the helicopter for flight. The pilot lifted the helicopter to a hover but soon began to have difficulty maintaining control and transferred the flight controls to the passenger. The passenger acknowledged that he had the flight controls. Shortly thereafter, the passenger lost control of the helicopter and it drifted backward into a fuel cart and rolled onto its left side. A postaccident interview and review of Federal Aviation Administration records revealed that the passenger did not possess a pilot certificate. Examination of the airframe revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 cylinder inner and outer intake valve springs were fractured and collapsed, which was likely the cause of the low engine and rotor speed on the previous flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.