- Date
- August 19, 1992, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Birdeye, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9238ZBell-Transworld 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920819032109A
- Case key
- 18316
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
Fuel contamination. A factor was the high density altitude.
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
An agricultural spraying helicopter was en route to the loading point when the engine lost power due to fuel contamination. During the landing flare following the autorotative descent, the helicopter experienced a hard landing, bending the skid tubes and sustaining a tail rotor strike.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9238Z
- Reported as
- Bell-Transworld 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- TWH-5
- Airframe hours
- 1,661
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-25A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Taylor Aviation
- Registered owner
- Taylor Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1992 · 297 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 1,600 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JBR, 31 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.
Other investigations on N9238Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.