- Date
- October 7, 1996, 11:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- King City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8135JBell 47G-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961007031299A
- Case key
- 29654
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 adequate rotor rpm during the takeoff initial climb.
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
According to the pilot, he refilled his restricted category helicopter with 80 gallons of defoliant and proceeded to take off from a farm field adjacent to a country road. He had made two previous departures from the same location and was aware of nearby power lines. During the climb over the power lines, the pilot allowed the engine, rotor rpm, and airspeed to decrease. The pilot further indicated that he attempted to regain airspeed and rpm by lowering the nose of the helicopter. His efforts were not successful, and the helicopter made a hard touchdown in the field.
Factual narrative
On October 7, 1996, at 1140 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47G-5A, N8135J, crashed into a field near King City, California, during an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot was not injured. The flight originated from King City about 0700.
According to the pilot, he refilled his restricted category helicopter with 80 gallons of defoliant and proceeded to take off from a farm field adjacent to a country road. He had made two previous departures from the same location and was aware of nearby power lines. During the climb over the power lines, the pilot allowed the engine, rotor rpm, and the airspeed to decrease.
The pilot further indicated that he attempted to regain airspeed and rpm by lowering the nose of the helicopter. His efforts were not successful, and the helicopter made a hard touchdown in the field. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction or failure occurred during the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8135J
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 25060
- Airframe hours
- 10,602
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Soilserve, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 1, 1996 · 22 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,213 total · 2,025 in this make and model · 2,190 as pilot in command · 280 in the last 90 days · 190 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.