- Date
- April 24, 1990, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hickman, KY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2134Bell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900424011699A
- Case key
- 8093
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 in-flight planning/decision by the pilot. The resultant tailwind was a related factor.
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
After application of chemicals to a wheat field, the pilot completed a turn-around maneuver in a downwind direction & began another swath run. He said he entered a settling-with-power condition, which continued to impact with the ground. The tall wheat wrapped around the booms causing the helicopter to roll over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2134
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 208
- Airframe hours
- 3,529
- Engine
- Franklin O-335-5D, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Dennis M. Hoppe, doing business as Crop Air
- Registered owner
- Paul D. Propst
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 19, 1990 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- Hickman, KY
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,266 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 9,027 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N2134 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.