- Date
- July 17, 2000, 14:22 local (19:22 UTC)
- Place
- Covington, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N818HJBell 47G-2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000717009149A
- Case key
- 49733
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 allowed the helicopter to get too low while hovering, which resulted in the tail rotor striking the ground, the separation of the blade, and subsequent force landing.
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
While at hover, about 15 to 20 feet above a field, at an indicated airspeed of about 20 knots, the pilot heard a 'bang' and the helicopter began to vibrate. The tail of the helicopter started coming around, so the pilot elected to set the helicopter down on the ground. When he landed, the main and tail rotor hit the ground. According to the FAA inspector's report, '...the tailskid may have touched down at a point 123 feet from where the rotorcraft impacted the ground,' at a location in the field where about 20 feet of cotton stalks were found to have been pulled up or cut. The damaged tail rotor and yoke were shipped to Bell Helicopter for metallurgical inspection. The inspection revealed there was no evidence of fatigue cracking on the surface of the separated blade. The separation was an overload failure. The damage to both the separated blade and the complete blade was consistent with a tail rotor blade strike. The pilot reported that he had 15 flight hours in this make and model helicopter.
Factual narrative
On July 17, 2000, about 1422 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-2A helicopter, N818HJ, registered to Precision Air Service, Inc., impacted with the ground near Covington, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. The helicopter received substantial damage. The commercial-rated pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed from a local field about 10 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated that he had hovered about 15 to 20 feet above a field, at an "indicated airspeed...[of] about 20 knots," that he was getting ready to spray, in an effort to determine if there were any obstacles. He heard a "bang" and the helicopter began to vibrate. The tail of the helicopter started coming around, so he elected to set the helicopter down on the ground. When he landed the main and tail rotor hit the ground.
According to the FAA inspector's report, "...the tailskid may have touched down at a point 123 feet from where the rotorcraft impacted the ground. At this point about 20 feet of cotton stalks had been pulled up or cut." The damaged tail rotor and yoke were shipped to Bell Helicopter for metallurgical inspection.
The damaged tail rotor and yoke were examined at Bell Helicopter's facilities, on August 24, 2000, under the supervision of the NTSB. According to the NTSB investigator, the metallurgical examination revealed, "...there was no evidence of fatigue cracking on the surface of the separated blade. The separation was an overload failure. The damage to both the separated blade and the complete blade was consistent with a tail rotor blade strike."
According to the FAA, and the pilot report the pilot had 15 flight hours in this make and model helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N818HJ
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2764
- Airframe hours
- 9,199
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1E, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Precision Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 14,500 total · 15 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 48 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.
Other investigations on N818HJ · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.