- Date
- July 8, 1987, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Huntsville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N908BBell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870708034359A
- Case key
- 7477
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 aerial application flight was dispensing insecticides on a cotton field. While maneuvering to avoid powerlines during the procedure turnaround following an upwind swath run, the pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed to ensure effective translational lift and the helicopter began to settle. The pilot failed to apply additional power in time to prevent the helicopter from settling into the terrain where it nosed over when the rotor blades struck the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N908B
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 479
- Airframe hours
- 5,419
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- John L. Lanier, doing business as Valley Flying Service
- Registered owner
- John L. Lanier, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 6, 1987 · 75 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 6,550 total · 700 in this make and model · 5,500 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 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 N908B · 7
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.