- Date
- August 17, 1985, 16:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Sedalia, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3951UBell 47G-2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850817039249A
- Case key
- 33852
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 plt was taking 2 passengers on a helicopter ride at a fair. Immediately after lift-off, he encountered a situation where he was unable to maintain directional control, so he reduced power & landed. Before coming to rest, the tail of the helicopter struck a van. An investigation revealed that the inner bearing (pn 47-620-605-001) of the tail rotor drive had failed, then the drive shaft failed. AD 81-04-03, amendment 39-4029 became effective on 2/2/81 to replace the bearing in the next 600 hrs of service. However, the helicopter had accumulated less than 600 hrs since that date.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3951U
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1376
- Airframe hours
- 12,302
- Engine
- Lycoming V0-435-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Metropolitan Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 1985 · 209 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 6,684 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 6,494 as pilot in command · 151 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.