- Date
- April 8, 1983, 07:01 local (15:01 UTC)
- Place
- Delano, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1397XBell 47G-3B-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830408011959A
- Case key
- 23673
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
The acft collided with a power line and trees while applying pesticide to an orchard. The pilot was flying into the rising sun and failed to see the power line which serviced an agricultural deep well.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1397X
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 6585
- Airframe hours
- 5,499
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-BIB, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Agri Fly Serv-Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 6, 1983 · 60 hours before
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 11,560 total · 2,100 in this make and model · 11,450 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 3 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °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 N1397X · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.