- Date
- May 17, 1982, 09:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Sublette, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7841SBell 47G-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820517016389A
- Case key
- 72749
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
Prior to this flight, the helicopter had been flown about 1 hr from roselle to Sublette, IL, then it was flown another 1/2 hr to survey the area to be sprayed. About 10 minutes after departing to spray, the engine lost power. The pilot started an autorotative landing to a road. However, due to vehicular traffic, the pilot attempted to land beyond the roadway, but the helicopter struck a guard rail and came to rest in a lake. According to company personnel, fuel exhaustion had occurred. The helicopter had not been refueled after departing roselle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7841S
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7862
- Airframe hours
- 5,042
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Clarke Outdoor Spraying
- Registered owner
- Clarke Outdoor Spraying
- Departed
- Sublette, IL
- Destination
- Sublette, IL
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 12,100 total · 65 in this make and model · 11,700 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 149 °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 N7841S · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.