- Date
- July 31, 1982, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Chesterfield, MO
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4070BBell 47J-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 31, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820731051919A
- Case key
- 70218
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
The pilot stated that he took off and was going through translational lift at about 15 to 20 ft AGL when he heard a loud bang. He said the loud bang was accompanied by a power loss. An immediate descent was made and the helicopter was landed hard with a forward speed of about 30 KTS. The pilot reported that during the landing, the tail boom was chopped off and the right skid collapsed when the helicopter skidded though a ditch. The engine was still running after landing. An examination of the engine revealed no preimpact deficiencies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4070B
- Reported as
- Bell 47J-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1812
- Airframe hours
- 11,110
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540B1B, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Metropolitan Helicopter Inc
- Registered owner
- Metropolitan Helicopter Inc
- Departed
- SUS · Chesterfield, MO
- Destination
- Alhambra, IL
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit Of St. Louis
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
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,655 total · 975 in this make and model · 3,855 as pilot in command · 262 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 176 °F
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 N4070B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.