20070629011829I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 47G-2 · Oroville, WA · June 29, 2007

Date: June 29, 2007 · 12:00 local
Place: Oroville, WA
Phase of flight: Pwr Off Vert Land/Autorotate
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N1657
Reported as: Bell 47G2
Reported engine: Lycoming VO435*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 10,500 total10,000 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N1657Registration cancelled Sep 10, 2014 · Bell 47G-2S/N 71 · Built 1947 Airframe modelBell 47G-2 Engine modelLycoming VO-435 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Operator was conducting cherry drying operations at the time of the incident. Operator was hovering over trees blowing off water on the cherries when the engine lost power. The pilot tried to line up the helicopter with the tree rows and autorotated. As the helicopter entered the trees the aircraft was not quite lined up with the tree rows and the tail boom hung up in a tree. The aircraft landed nose low. The skids bent, the bubble broke and the lower chin structure bent. No injuries were incurred. No other damage was found at this time to the aircraft. Preliminary inspection of the engine by the owner showed that the oil pump drive was sheared and the engine was seized.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) OPERATOR WAS CONDUCTING CHERRY DRYING OPERATIONS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. OPERATOR WAS HOVERING OVER TREES BLOWING OFF WATER ON THE CHERRIES WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT TRIED TO LINE UP THE HELICOPTER WITH THE TREE ROWS AND AUTOROTATED. AS THE HELICOPTER ENTERED THE TREES THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT QUITE LINED UP WITH THE TREE ROWS AND THE TAIL BOOM HUNG UP IN A TREE. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED NOSE LOW. THE SKIDS BENT, THE BUBBLE BROKE AND THE LOWER CHIN STRUCTURE BENT. NO INJURIES WERE INCURRED. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND AT THIS TIME TO THE AIRCRAFT. PRELIMINARY INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE BY THE OWNER SHOWED THAT THE OIL PUMP DRIVE WAS SHEARED AND THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED.