- Date
- July 30, 1987, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Canon City, CO
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N73265Bell 47J-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870730044909A
- Case key
- 17288
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 ATP plt was flying sightseeing rides. There were two adults and two children in the four passenger helicopter. Density altitude was 10000 feet. The acft lost pwr and the plt aborted takeoff and landed. After an eng runup the plt took off again and the helicopter was brought to a hover to return to the loading area. While turning, the tail rotor struck a fence and was severed. The helicopter made an uncommanded right turn and the plt executed a hovering autorotation. A post accident inspection revealed evidence that a plug was missing from the intake manifold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73265
- Reported as
- Bell 47J-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1869
- Airframe hours
- 4,321
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Ozark Mountain Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Bud Michaelson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 11, 1986 · 25 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
- 52
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10,149 total · 28 in this make and model · 9,941 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °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 N73265 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.