- Date
- December 18, 1983, 11:25 local (16:25 UTC)
- Place
- Dummerston, VT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N48316Bell 47-G3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831218061529A
- Case key
- 35482
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 initiated a practice autorotation from about 600 ft AGL. Airspeed was about 55 KTS with low m/r RPM due to low gross weight. A moderate flare was initiated in an effort to increase rotor RPM, reducing the airspeed to 40 KTS. However, the application of collective failed to arrest the descent rate & the t/r struck the ground causing the helicopter to vibrate. When the t/r struck, about 6 inches of one tip broke causing more vibration. The plt attempted toland the helicopter, but drive to the t/r ceased to respond, & the helicopter yawed to the right. The left skid struck the ground & collapsed, & the mast assembly was projected through the canopy bubble.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48316
- Reported as
- Bell 47-G3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3628
- Airframe hours
- 5,681
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scenic Rotors, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 8, 1983 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- Westbrattleboro, VT
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
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,406 total · 679 in this make and model · 1,331 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
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 N48316 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.