- Date
- September 25, 1983, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wise, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1400WBell 47G-4A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830925054069A
- Case key
- 6212
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt held a commercial certificate, but was a student in helicopter flying. He had over 15,000 hrs total time in airplanes, but only aprx 13 hrs of experience in helicopters. On his 1st solo flt in a helicopter, he was making approaches to a grassy area beside a rwy. On 1 apch, he transitioned from a 60 kt approach to a hover. The approach was made on a heading of 240 deg in variable wind conditions that prevailed from 205 deg at 5 KTS. Reportedly, the plt flared & stopped his forward movement at about 4 ft AGL; however, the nose continued up & started yawing to the right, then the helicopter turned aprx 270 deg to the right & the main rotor blades struck the ground. The plt recalled seeing an indication of 2800 eng RPM before he lost control. A certified flt instructor stated that 2800 RPM was marginal for maintaining directional control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1400W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-4A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7657
- Airframe hours
- 11,000
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-B1B3, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cherokee Aviation, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 1983
- Departed
- LNP
- Airport
- LNP · Lonesome Pine, runway 24, 4,700 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,975 total · 13 in this make and model · 15,751 as pilot in command · 170 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 205° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1400W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.