- Date
- July 16, 1985, 06:45 local (11:45 UTC)
- Place
- Crane, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8197JBell 47G-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850716031629A
- Case key
- 21800
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 helicopter was being operated from a flat bed trailer. The plt stated he had lifted to a 3 foot hover when the eng stopped. The helicopter suddenly rotated about 45 degs before he could stop it. The plt attempted to make an autorotation touchdown but was still partially over the trailer. The rear portion of the right skid contacted the edge of the trailer, and the helicopter rolled to the left. The main rotor blades contacted the ground which resulted in destruction of the helicopter as they continued to rotate. The cause of the eng failure was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8197J
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 25012
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Lloyd L. Davis, Jr.
- Registered owner
- Elmer G. Herring
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Airport
- E13 · Crane
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
- 54
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 21,534 total · 560 in this make and model · 21,350 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
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 N8197J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.