- Date
- July 15, 1992, 15:55 local (19:55 UTC)
- Place
- Southwick, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N3109GBell 47G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 7, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920715025699A
- Case key
- 11820
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 adjustment of the stabilizer control system by maintenance personnel.
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 was making a right turn during a hover-taxi check as part of a post-maintenance flight test. According to the pilot, the helicopter continued to roll right (uncommanded), and he was unable to regain control despite using left cyclic input. The main rotors struck the ground, and the helicopter impacted the ground in a nose down, right bank, attitude. Examination of the helicopter included a test of the hydraulic dampers which were connected to the stabilizer bar assembly. The test revealed that the dampers were not adjusted adequately, which resulted in little to no response to cyclic control input.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3109G
- Reported as
- Bell 47G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 407
- Airframe hours
- 6,397
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Robert Hunt
- Registered owner
- Robert Hunt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 19, 1992 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- 6MA3
- Airport
- 6MA3 · Scibelli Heliport
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,200 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 6,950 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 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 N3109G · 7
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.