# Accident 20031021032409A: Bell 47G2A1, Balm, FL, October 21, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 21, 2003, 11:41 local time
- Place: Balm, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.7697° N, 82.2856° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.7697&lon=-82.2856&mi=10
- Aircraft: N73979, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73979-2014-11-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 47G-2A-1 (registry code 1181014, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-47g-2a-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming VO-435 series (registry code 41525, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-vo-435-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 47G2A1
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA04FA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04FA008) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031021032409A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON OCTOBER 21, 2003, AT 11:41 EDT, A BELL HELICOPTER, BHT-47G-2A1, N73979, REGISTERED TO CENTRAL FLORIDA FLYING SERVICE INC., COLLIDED WITH A BUILDING WHILE MANEUVERING AT THE PILOT'S/OWNER'S RESIDENCE IN ^PRIVACY DATA ^ WHILE ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME. THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. ONE BYSTANDER ON THE GROUND WAS FATALLY INJURED DURING THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES EARLIER FROM THE SAME LOCATION.

## 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 MIA04FA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04FA008), Oct 21, 2003: Bell 47G-2A-1 (N73979), Balm, FL, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's intentional buzzing and his failure to maintain altitude/clearance which resulted in an in-flight collision with a building.

## Other reports on N73979 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19790506007299A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790506007299A), May 6, 1979: Bell 47G (N73979), Weatherly, PA, Destroyed. Helicopter struck powerlines during low level surveillance.

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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