- Date
- May 1, 1986, 19:10 local (May 2, 1986, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Palmdale, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N4239JBell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860501015109A
- Case key
- 25146
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 helicopter landed hard in the desert while on a VFR personal flt. The plt indicated that he just departed a mountian area for refueling. He also indicated he was disoriented and the compass was inoperable. He decided to land and check the fuel quantity. He stated he misjudged the landing, the tail hit the desert floor and the main rotor struck and severed the tail boom. Aprx 1 quart of fuel was drained from the entire fuel system. According to the manufacturers operators manual for the bell 47G, the fuel capacity is 43 gallons total with 41 gallons usable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4239J
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1
- Airframe hours
- 12,211
- Engine
- Franklin 6VS-335-A, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Riverside Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 17, 1986 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- PMD · Palmdale, CA
- Airport
- PMD · Palmdale
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,943 total · 1,538 in this make and model · 1,870 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PMD, 8 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.