- Date
- July 3, 1983, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thomasville, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5185BBell 47G2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830703070369A
- Case key
- 12246
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 helicopter tail rotor struck the ground during landing. The helicopter was engaged in aerial application and was returning to reload. The plt reported that at touchdown a gust of wind caused the tail rotor to hit the ground. Decatur winds were reported as from 190 degrees at 12 KTS at 0750 CDT. No gusts reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5185B
- Reported as
- Bell 47G2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1540
- Airframe hours
- 7,048
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 133
- Registered owner
- Robert E. Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 1983 · 116 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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,715 total · 195 in this make and model · 3,519 as pilot in command · 258 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Observed at
- DEC, 11 nm away
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 N5185B · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.