- Date
- January 23, 1982, 15:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Watsonville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N10194Bell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820123001799A
- Case key
- 72980
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 a preceding spray operation, the pilot noted that some of the spray nozzles were not functioning properly. He flushed the tanks with fresh water and partially refilled them with water to perform an airborne nozzle check. While performing the check at about 30 ft AGL, he became engrossed in visually checking the boom nozzles. He did not notice a telephone line in his flight path until it was too late to avoid striking it. After severing the line, the pilot made an immediate landing in a muddy field. While landing in a nose-high attitude, the tail rotor struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10194
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1056
- Airframe hours
- 7,080
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 137
- Operator
- Kenneth L. Mason
- Registered owner
- Helicair Inc.
- Departed
- Watsonville, CA
- Destination
- Watsonville, CA
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
- 64
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 15,695 total · 4,640 in this make and model · 15,543 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 124 °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 N10194 · 5
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.