- Date
- January 29, 2026, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Floral City, FL · Wildlife Management Area
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N347BHBell 47G-3B
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 202364
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
The student pilot’s loss of helicopter control during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a solo flight, the student pilot set up an approach to an off-airport landing area. The pilot stated that after he initiated the flare, he applied left anti-torque pedal in preparation for landing. The pilot thought that a gust of wind caught the helicopter’s tail rotor, after which he lost control of the helicopter, which subsequently impacted the terrain. The helicopter was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N347BH
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2771
- Built
- 1962
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-GIA, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 2025
- Departed
- PCM · Plant City, FL
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 32.8 total · 0 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- INF, 4 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KINF 291755Z AUTO 36006KT 7SM CLR 16/M01 A3022 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 84.9 MB in all.
Other investigations on N347BH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.