# Accident 19970827024169A: Bell UH1B, Manila, AR, August 27, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 27, 1997, 10:10 local time
- Place: Manila, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 35.8792° N, 90.1600° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8792&lon=-90.1600&mi=10
- Aircraft: N482SA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N482SA-2013-09-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1B (registry code 1181410, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH1B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA330) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970827024169A

## Narrative

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

DURING AERIAL APPLICATION CRASHED. (-23) APPROXIMATELY 10:30 AM I WAS CALLED IN REFERENCE TO AN ACCIDENT 3 MILES NORTH OF MANILA, AR. UPON ARRIVING ON SITE I FOUND A BUFFALO ISLAND FLYING SERVICE AERIAL APPLICATOR, OPERATING A BELL HELICOPTER UH-1B, N482SA HAD IMPACTED GROUND, WITH ONE FATAL. NOTIFIED NTSB & CENTER, INFORMED DOUG WIGGINGTON WOULD BE THERE AROUND 8:00 PM. STARTED SEARCH FOR ROTOR BLADES AND HUB. THEY WERE LOCATED ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM A/C WITH BLADE TIPS BROKEN OFF. LOCATED ONE BLADE TIP, BUT NOT THE OTHER. INVESTIGATION WAS TURNED OVER TO NTSB.

## 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 FTW97FA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA330), Aug 27, 1997: Southwest Florida SW204 (N482SA), Manila, AR, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Fatigue failure of the main rotor blade resulting in the in-flight separation of the main rotor system due to the use of an unairworthy blade, and failure of the maintenance personnel who modified…

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.