- Date
- May 19, 1988, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mc Dougal, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4690Bell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880519015849A
- Case key
- 34570
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 had just begun the spraying of a rice field when one of the spray nozzles malfunctioned. As he was attempting to set the helicopter down on the ground, to work on the nozzle, the main rotor blades struck a tree. The main rotor blades then chopped off the tail boom, and the helicopter went out of control before impacting the terrain. No mechanical malfunction was discovered during the post-crash inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4690
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- BB2383
- Airframe hours
- 3,188
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1B, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Harmon Rex
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 1987
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,400 total · 2,300 in this make and model · 2,250 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JBR, 38 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 N4690 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.