- Date
- May 31, 2001, 11:36 local (18:36 UTC)
- Place
- Buttonwillow, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N110DTBell 47G-4A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flt Standards Dist Office
- FAA report
- 20010531009989A
- Case key
- 52387
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 inadequate in-flight planning that resulted in settling with power during an aerial application turn-to-reverse direction and collision with the ground. Factors were high density altitude and a wind shift.
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
During the aerial application turn-to-reverse direction to continue spraying chemicals, the helicopter began settling with power and collided with the ground. According to the pilot, "near triple digit" temperatures, a wind shift, and a steep 180-degree turn resulted in the power settling that could not be arrested prior to ground impact. The pilot also reported that the temperature over the unplanted field where he was executing the reverse turn was higher than over the corn field he had been spraying.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 2001, at 1136 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47G-4A, N110DT, collided with the ground during an aerial application turn to reverse direction near Buttonwillow, California. The helicopter sustained substantial damage; however, the certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The helicopter was being operated by Inland Crop Dusters, Inc., as an aerial application flight under 14 CFR Part 137 when the accident occurred. The flight had originated in the Bakersfield area earlier that morning. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot was reported by Kern County Sheriff's Deputies to have been performing an aerial application flight when the helicopter crashed.
According to the pilot, he was making a series of steep 180-degree turns between aerial application passes. He reported that on the last turn the helicopter began to "settle with power" and there was not enough time to recover. By his account, wind direction was a contributing factor.
Wind speeds recorded at Bakersfield weather station were variable at 3 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N110DT
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-4A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- RL-691-43
- Airframe hours
- 2,717
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-B1B3, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 16, 2001 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- Unknown, CA
- Destination
- L62 · Buttonwillow, CA
- Airport
- L62 · Elk Hills-Buttonwillow
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- January 20, 2000
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 750 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- BFL, 17 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 N110DT · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.