- Date
- June 5, 1993, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wynne, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9238ZBell-Transworld 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930605017379A
- Case key
- 18766
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
Partial power loss due to the failure of one magneto. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
According to the pilot, he had pulled up from a swath run when the engine lost partial power. He further stated that he was unable to sustain level flight and the aircraft settled into trees. According to the operator, post-accident inspection revealed that the engine had exprerienced a magneto failure.
Factual narrative
On June 5, 1993, at approximately 1445 central daylight time, a Bell-Transworld Helicopter Corporation 47G-2, N9238Z, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during an uncontrolled descent, near Wynne, Arkansas. The aircraft, owned and operated by Jimair, and flown by a commercial pilot, was on a local aerial application flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.
According to the pilot, he was about to finish seeding a field with rice when he pulled up from a swath run and the engine lost power. The pilot stated that as he pulled up, the engine "bogged down" and lost power, but did not quit totally. He further stated that the aircraft began to settle toward the ground and collided with trees. The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground. According to information received from the operator, post-accident inspection revealed that the engine had experienced a magneto failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9238Z
- Reported as
- Bell-Transworld 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- TWH-5
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-430, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Jimair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 1992 · 102 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,599 total · 6,500 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °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 N9238Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.