- Date
- July 4, 1984, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Penn Run, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1477WBell 47G-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840704029559A
- Case key
- 35387
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 spraying a potatoe field with a lightly loaded helicopter when the eng failed. At that time, the helicopter was about 10 ft AGL in a slight right turn & at aprx 35 mph. The plt flared to stop the forward movement & landed, but the tail rotor section contacted the ground & separated from the tail boom. An exam of the eng revealed that the #6 connection rod had failed & punctured the crankcase.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1477W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7938
- Airframe hours
- 2,290
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Gg Ag Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- G & G Ag Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 1984 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- Penn Run, PA
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,100 total · 1,900 in this make and model · 71 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.