# Accident 20060704023029A: Bell 47G2, Petersburg, WV, July 4, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 4, 2006, 12:00 local time
- Place: Petersburg, WV
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.9947° N, 79.1458° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9947&lon=-79.1458&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6738D (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 47G2
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 493 total, 413 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC06CA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA173) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060704023029A

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT WAS TAKING OFF FROM FIELD WITH 2 PASSENGERS, GIVING SIGHTSEEING RIDES. THERE WAS A TAILWIND. THERE WAS A LOSS OF ROTOR RPM AFTER TAKEOFF AND THE PILOT WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO STAY IN THE AIR. PILOT PICKED A SPOT TO DO A RUN ON LANDING AND WAS ALMOST TO THE SPOT WHEN A PASSENGER PUSHED ON ONE OF THE RUDDER PEDALS TO BRACE FOR THE IMPACT. THIS INTERFERENCE CAUSED THE HELICOPTER TO LAND HARD AND COLLAPSE A SKID AND ROLL ONTO ITS LEFT SIDE. THERE WAS MINOR INJURIES TO THE PASSENGERS.

## 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 NYC06CA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA173), Jul 4, 2006: Bell 47G-2 (N6738D), Petersburg, WV, substantial damage. Probable cause: The passenger's inadvertent interference with the flight controls, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent impact with the ground.

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.
