- Date
- February 24, 1989, 07:55 local (12:55 UTC)
- Place
- Oklawaha, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N863ZBell 47G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890224003179A
- Case key
- 32402
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
Pilot's failure to properly control the helicopter during an attempted landing on the back of a truck. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in performing similar landings.
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
Pilot was attempting his first landing on the back of a truck when he allowed the helicopter to pitch back causing the tail rotor to strike the ground which resulted in the helicopter rolling and the main rotor striking the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N863Z
- Reported as
- Bell 47G
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- C5003
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth T. Mcdowell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,460 total · 3 in this make and model · 1,350 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 35 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 N863Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.