# Accident 19891104044329A: Bell 47G3B1, Westfield, MA, November 4, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 4, 1989, 11:30 local time
- Place: Westfield, MA
- Airport: Barnes Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.1579° N, 72.7159° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at , within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1579&lon=-72.7159&mi=10
- Aircraft: N57919, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N57919-2015-05-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell TH-13T (registry code 1180813, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-th-13t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 47G3B1
- Reported engine: LYC TVO435B1A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 265 total, 209 in this make and model, 78 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC90LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC90LA025) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19891104044329A

## Narrative

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

TAIL ROTOR STRUCK GROUND DURING HOVER. BEGAN SPIN TAIL ROTOR DEPARTED. CRASHED IN A SPIN.

## 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 NYC90LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC90LA025), Nov 4, 1989: Bell 47G-3B1 (N57919), Westfield, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON, WHICH RESULTED IN THE TAIL ROTOR STRIKING THE GROUND AND SEPARATING FROM THE HELICOPTER.

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.

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