20170310002009I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 47G · March 10, 2017

Date: March 10, 2017 · 11:30 local
Airport: Mojave
Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6359X
Reported as: Bell 47G
Reported engine: Franklin 6V4 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,282 total480 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

N6359XRegistered now · Bell 47GS/N 64-010R · Built 1963 Airframe modelBell 47G Engine modelFranklin 6V4 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.

During hover at approximately 3 ft., aircraft began to yaw. Pilot applied left pedal and aircraft settled hard onto the left skid. The left skid, forward and aft vertical cross tubes were damaged.

Aircraft came to rest on the ground handling wheel assembly. The aircraft rotated approximately 360 degrees about the handling wheel axis prior to engine shutdown.

As the FAA filed it

DURING HOVER AT APPROXIMATELY 3 FT., AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO YAW. PILOT APPLIED LEFT PEDAL AND AIRCRAFT SETTLED HARD ONTO THE LEFT SKID. THE LEFT SKID, FORWARD AND AFT VERTICAL CROSS TUBES WERE DAMAGED.

AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE GROUND HANDLING WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE AIRCRAFT ROTATED APPROXIMATELY 360 DEGREES ABOUT THE HANDLING WHEEL AXIS PRIOR TO ENGINE SHUTDOWN.