- Date
- August 29, 1998, 10:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Dawson, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4702SBell 47D1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980829022379A
- Case key
- 43803
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing resulting in debris being blown up during landing resulting in damage to the tail rotor and loss of control.
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 pilot stated that as he approached his load truck to land, debris started blowing around and the helicopter suddenly started spinning to the right. He had no tail rotor control when he applied left pedal. He then maneuvered away from the truck and the helicopter crashed to the ground. The tail rotor had been damaged by the flying debris resulting in the loss of control.
Factual narrative
On August 29, 1998, about 1010 eastern daylight time, a Bell 47D1, N4702S, registered to an individual, was damaged during landing at Dawson, Georgia, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot was not injured. The flight originated from the accident site, the same day, about 1000.
The pilot stated that he took off from a trailer and flew over the area that was to be sprayed. He then flew back to the staging area. As he approached his load truck to land, debris started blowing around and the helicopter suddenly started spinning to the right. He had no tail rotor control when he applied left pedal. He pulled back on the cyclic control to get away from the truck and the helicopter came to rest on the ground about 100 feet away.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4702S
- Reported as
- Bell 47D1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- B-101R
- Airframe hours
- 8,692
- Engine
- Franklin 6V-335-A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Southern Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 16, 1998 · 38 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABY, 14 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 N4702S · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.