- Date
- June 5, 1991, 14:31 local (19:31 UTC)
- Place
- Peach Orchard, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8117Bell 47D-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910605020209A
- Case key
- 23339
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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor RPM resulting in deteriorated helicopter performance. A factor was the tailwind condition.
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 pilot was practicing agricultural low altitude flight maneuvers and descended downwind with power to a hard landing. The helicopter bounced and rolled over after impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8117
- Reported as
- Bell 47D-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- K732
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Greg L. Wilkerson, doing business as Decade 90 Properties, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Greg L. Wilkerson
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 113 in this make and model · 113 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °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 N8117 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.