- Date
- July 3, 1988, 20:15 local (Jul 4, 1988, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ruleville, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N903BBell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880703025389A
- Case key
- 32204
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
During an aerial application flt while spraying chemicals the plt reported that the engine quit. The pilot attempted an autorotation but was too low and slow to complete it. The aircraft landed hard in the field of crops and nosed over. Examination of the engine after the accident did not reveal any reason for the power loss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N903B
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 847
- Airframe hours
- 3,566
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Agri Flex, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Agri Flex, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 1987 · 100 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,442 total · 163 in this make and model · 11,355 as pilot in command · 472 in the last 90 days · 188 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GLH, 27 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 N903B · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.