- Date
- June 11, 1982, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Douglas, WY
- Injuries
- 2 minor; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73221Bell 47G-3B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820611022679A
- Case key
- 70496
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 pilot reported that he made a normal approach to the landing site near his loading dock. When he touched down, the helicopter as on a slope, so he picked the craft back up to a hover. Reportedly, he was moving the helicopter about 4 ft forward to a more level position when a gust of wind from the right drifted the craft to the left. Subsequently, the main rotor blades struck the top of the loading dock. The pilot reported that the wind was variable between 270 and 360 degrees at 5, gusting 10 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73221
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2757
- Airframe hours
- 5,407
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO 435, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 137
- Operator
- Dare R. Williams
- Registered owner
- Dare R. Williams
- Departed
- Douglas, WY
- Destination
- Douglas, WY
- Airport
- Field Strip
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 7,190 total · 4,700 in this make and model · 24 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 140 °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.