- Date
- November 1, 1989, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Guadalupe, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4798RBell 47G-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891101044159A
- Case key
- 26585
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 failure to maintain sufficient clearance allowing the aircraft to collide with a wooden power pole. Contributing to the accident was the sunglare which inhibited the pilot's vision.
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 pilot of a helicopter crop duster collided with a wooden power pole during aerial application in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot was aware of the obstacle before the flight. The pilot was on the sixth swath run on a southeasterly direction heading directly into the rising sun on the horizon. The pilot reported no malfunction with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4798R
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7925
- Airframe hours
- 15,216
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Mark & Tracy English
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1989 · 3 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
- 49
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,800 total · 2,100 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °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 N4798R · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.