- Date
- August 15, 1989, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Waseca, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8471EBell 47G-B3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890815029849A
- Case key
- 34849
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
Inadequate preflight by the pilot which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel. The tailwind, high obstruction (power line), and crop (beans) were contributing factors.
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
Drg a return flt to the nurse truck after aerial application, the engine lost power. The plt estimated the helicopter was at about 100 ft AGL with a tailwind when the power loss occurred. He had insufficient altitude to turn into the wind, so he made an autorotation with a tailwind in a bean field, maneuvering only to avoid a power line. Drg the landing, the helicopter rocked forward & the main rotor blades severed the tail boom as the plt applied aft cyclic. A post-acdnt investigation revealed the fuel tank was empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8471E
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-B3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2654
- Airframe hours
- 4,807
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Churchill, Scott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 20, 1989 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- Waseca, MN
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,100 as pilot in command · 208 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RST, 40 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 N8471E · 5
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.