# NTSB NYC02LA090: Bell 47J-2A, N37731, Blairstown, NJ, May 1, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 1, 2002, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Blairstown, NJ - Coordinates: 40.974166, -74.999725 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9742&lon=-74.9997&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 54621 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC02LA090 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54621/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54621 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA090 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper flare, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance which resulted in a tail strike. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - improper, pilot in command (cause) - object - airport sign/marker - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - Hard landing, descent - emergency ## Analysis During the flare, the tail rotor blades struck a tire, which was used to mark off the helipad. The helicopter rotated to the right and began to climb. The pilot closed the throttle, and the helicopter touched down hard, coming to rest upright. ## Factual narrative On May 1, 2002, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Bell 47J-2A helicopter, N37731, was substantially damaged while landing at the Blairstown Airport, Blairstown, New Jersey. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the sightseeing flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, just after the helicopter lifted off the ground, the passenger advised that a camera had fallen under a seat, and he could not reach it. The pilot elected to hover to a helipad located in grass area, just east of the runway. Four tires marked off the helipad, one at each corner. As the helicopter neared the ground, the pilot flared, and the tail rotor blades struck one of the tires. The helicopter rotated to the right and began to climb. The pilot closed the throttle, and the helicopter touched down hard on the helipad, coming to rest upright. Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the gearbox had separated from the tail boom, and the main landing skids were collapsed around both sides of the fuselage. The recorded weather at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 290 degrees at 8 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N37731](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N37731-2016-09-08), registration cancelled 2016-09-08, S/N 3702, built 1965 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bell 47J-2A - Registry model: [Bell 47J-2A](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-47j-2a) (registry code 1181106) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming VO-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-vo-540-series) (registry code 41534, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 3702 - Airframe hours: 3605 - Engines: Lycoming VO-540 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Registered owner: Sparta Rotors - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 14, 2002, 7 hours before - Departed: N53, Strousburg, PA - Destination: 1N7, Blairstown, NJ - Airport: 1N7, Blairstown Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: helicopter, airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review June 18, 2001; seat: right; flight hours: 4,900 total, 400 in this make and model, 4,000 as pilot in command, 6 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 290° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 29.87 inHg - Observed at: ABE, 28 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020501012289A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020501012289A), May 1, 2002: Bell 47J2A, Blairstown, NJ, Substantial damage. (.19) On may 1, 2002, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Bell 47J-2A helicopter, N37731, was substantially damaged while landing at the Blairstown Airport,… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 15, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54621. 404 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 387 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436445&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Correspondence (item 2, .PDF, 17 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40181340&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Correspondence-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.