- Date
- May 19, 1986, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Red Bay, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N73269Bell 47G-3B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860519019129A
- Case key
- 7106
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 pilot had completed a dispensing operation and was returning to the ag staging area to refuel. As the helicopter hovered towards the parked refueling vehicle, the main rotor blades struck a metal structure attached to the truck. The pilot stated that the refueling hose was about 30 feet long and was too short for this operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73269
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2784
- Airframe hours
- 3,981
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20-B, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Chem-Air, Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 13, 1986 · 43 hours before
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,560 total · 2,210 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °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 N73269 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.