- Date
- December 24, 1983, 09:38 local (15:38 UTC)
- Place
- Hughes, AR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N124CDBell 47G-2A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831224064839A
- Case key
- 21095
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 & observer were on a flt to rescue 2 duck hunters, stranded in a boat that became stuck in ice, 500 to 600 ft from shore. After removing the rgt door, they planned to pick up 1 hunter at a time on the rgt skid while the observer held onto him thru the open door. After circling in gusty winds, the plt was able to hover at the bow of the boat. As the 1st hunter climbed onto the rgt skid, the helicopter banked to the rgt, and subsequently, entered a spin to the rgt. However, the plt regained control & continued to the landing area while remaining in a constant rgt turn. As he entered a 5 ft hover to land, the acft pitched forward. The plt pulled the collective to gain alt, but the acft entered a rgt roll & turn, and subsequently struck several trees & crashed. An investigation revealed the CG exceeded the forward limit by .33 inches & the right CG limit by 5.2 inches. The acft was not equipped for lateral loads & no lateral CG limits were listed in the flt manual. Those equipped for litters (lateral loads) were rigged with additional cyclic ctl.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N124CD
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3750
- Airframe hours
- 3,769
- Engine
- Allison 250, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Memphis Police Dept.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Memphis, TN
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,742 total · 2,575 in this make and model · 5,501 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 10 °F
- Observed at
- MEM, 30 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.