- Date
- September 29, 1989, 16:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Plains, GA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N840MCBell UH-1B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890929037199A
- Case key
- 7830
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper modification of the helicopter by the company/operator, and failure of the spray boom, which resulted in mast bumping, and subsequent failure of the main rotor assembly.
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
During a positioning flt, an in-flight breakup of the helicopter occurred in the vicinity of where it was crossing a line of trees between 2 cleared areas. Wreckage was found scattered over an area of aprx 300 yds in length, along a heading of 340 deg. At the se end, pieces were found from the left spray boom & main rotor aerodynamic fairing. Further to the nw, various parts were found from the left side of the helicopter, left spray boom & tail rotor. The main rotor & main rotor hub were found about 120 yds to the right of the wreckage path. The fuselage, eng & trans- mission were found about 240 yds nw of the 1st part of the wreckage. An exam of the wreckage revealed the main rotor system had separated due to mast bumping. There was evidence the left spray boom had contacted the main rotor blades during flt. All of the fractures of the spray boom, steel truss & assoc lugs indcd overload failure in aft & upward drctn. The spray assembly & boom had not been installed in accordance with FAR part 23.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N840MC
- Reported as
- Bell UH-1B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 60-3619
- Airframe hours
- 4,921
- Engine
- Lycoming T53-11D, 1,100 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Agrotors, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 20, 1989 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Plains, GA
- Destination
- 82A · Buena Vista, GA
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,165 total · 1,351 in this make and model · 4,024 as pilot in command · 122 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.