- Date
- February 13, 1993, 13:28 local (21:28 UTC)
- Place
- Bakersfield, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1185WBell 47G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930213002339A
- Case key
- 27923
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 clutch slippage and failure of the pilot to jettison the load.
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 was fully loaded with fertilizer before departing the truck loading platform. Shortly after lift off the helicopter's clutch slipped and disengaged the main rotor from the transmission. The pilot did not jettison the load and the helicopter sustained a hard landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1185W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7513
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-B1B3, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Inland Crop Dusting, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Inland Crop Dusting, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,350 total · 400 in this make and model · 1,100 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °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 N1185W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.