- Date
- May 31, 1988, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N440TGBell 47G-2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880531017279A
- Case key
- 13867
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 plt rprtd that before takeoff, he checked the fuel gage & concluded there was enough fuel to dispense his load. However, after spraying out the load, he started to return to the landing site & then the eng lost power from fuel exhaustion. The helicopter was over trees & the plt had to hold collective to reach a clearing. Subsequently, the helicopter touched down hard & the skids, tail boom, tail rotor & tail rotor gear box were damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N440TG
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2245
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Agri-Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,260 total · 2,394 in this make and model · 4,130 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MBS, 20 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 N440TG · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.