- Date
- May 15, 1991, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hughesville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2619BBell 47-G3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910515016169A
- Case key
- 36752
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
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's selection of the forced landing area.
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 reported that he was returning to williamsport, Pennsylvania to refuel and pick up chemicals to spray gypsy moths when the engine failed. He started autorotating at about 500 feet AGL. The helicopter collided with trees at the edge of a forest. A witness said that the helicopter made a right turn about 10 feet over a field as if to land and then proceeded down the gully towards the woods. He then heard the crash.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2619B
- Reported as
- Bell 47-G3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2806
- Airframe hours
- 9,289
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Agricultural Helicopter Serv.
- Registered owner
- Agricultural Helicopter Serv.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 19, 1991 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- Hughesville, PA
- Destination
- IPT · Williamsport, 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
- 44
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,552 total · 400 in this make and model · 80 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IPT, 10 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.