- Date
- September 18, 1988, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Perris, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4099GBell 47G-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880918039149A
- Case key
- 25721
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
On liftoff, tail rotor control was lost and helicopter spun with main rotor striking terrain. Investigation revealed fatigue failure of engine mounting cage. The eng basket had failed and allowed the t/r drive shaft to pull out of the coupling. The basket had 800 hrs flt time and was cracked and corroded. Due to closeness of a fuel truck the plt had limited room for maneuvering.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4099G
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7909
- Airframe hours
- 11,410
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Aerohead Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 25, 1987 · 26 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
- 42
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,452 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °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 N4099G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.