# Accident 19790817031319A: Bell 47G3B1, Rico, CO, August 17, 1979

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 1979, 11:05 local time
- Place: Rico, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unknown/Not Reported
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Location: 37.6891° N, 108.0317° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Rico, CO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6891&lon=-108.0317&mi=10
- Aircraft: N73963, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73963-2012-05-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell TH-13T (registry code 1180813, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-th-13t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 47G3B1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 2,421 total, 65 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN79FA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN79FA055) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790817031319A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

HELICOPTER WENT INTO RIGHT SPIN. IMPACTED VERTICALLY. FOUND FAILED BEARING IN TAIL ROTOR GEAR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN79FA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN79FA055), Aug 17, 1979: Bell 47G3B1 (N73963), Rico, CO, destroyed, 2 fatal

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.