- Date
- September 9, 2006, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hayden, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N23947Bell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20060909019989A
- Case key
- 64491
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
engine fire for reasons undetermined.
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
According to the pilot, he had just performed an uneventful landing in his pasture and was allowing the engine to cool down before shutting it down. The pilot reported that one minute into the cool down, he reduced the throttle to seventeen hundred rpm. He felt heat on his back and turned around to see fire coming from the engine. As the pilot was attempting to egress from the helicopter, he fell backwards, grabbed the cyclic stick with the engine still running, and pulled it to the left side as he slid out. The helicopter was entirely consumed by fire. Due to the extent of the damage, the origin of the fire could not be determined.
Factual narrative
According to the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) submitted by the pilot, he had just performed an uneventful landing in his pasture and was allowing the engine to cool down before shutting it down. The pilot reported that one minute into the cool down, he reduced the throttle to seventeen hundred rpm. He felt "heat on [his] back" and turned around to see "fire coming from [the] engine." As the pilot was attempting to egress from the helicopter, he "fell backwards, grabbed the cyclic stick with [the] engine still running, and pulled it to the left side as [he] slid out." The helicopter was entirely consumed by fire. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the helicopter. Due to the extent of the damage, the origin of the fire could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23947
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2080
- Airframe hours
- 4,900
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2006
- Departed
- 3A1 · Cullman, AL
- Destination
- Hayden, AL
- Airport
- NA · Na
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 205 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- 3A1, 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.