- Date
- April 14, 1990, 13:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bixby, OK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2238WBell 47G-4A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900414009099A
- Case key
- 22954
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
Loss of control due to undetermined mechanical failure.
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
After the ag pilot finished his load, he headed back to the truck for his final load. As he passed under a powerline he heard a loud bang or pop, and the helicopter yawed to the right. He said he heard the wheat hitting the skid booms, and then the helicopter impacted hard on the toes of the skids. His seat belt failed and he was thrown through the front of the helicopter. He said he received minor injuries. The helicopter was demolished by impact and post-impact fire. The FAA investigators said that due to the damae caused by the impact, damaged caused by the fire, and damage caused by movement of the wreckage, they could not find a component failure that might have caused the accident. The first skid marks started under the powerlines, but the power lines were not damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2238W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-4A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7704
- Airframe hours
- 4,406
- Engine
- Lycoming VO 540, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Cristopher Bailey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 1989 · 231 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Bixby, OK
- Destination
- Bixby, OK
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 1,400 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °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 N2238W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.