- Date
- August 12, 1992, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Mifflin, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2070PBell 47G-3B-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920812055289A
- Case key
- 37204
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
A yaw for unknown reason(s) which resulted in the tail rotor contacting the dirt bank and a loss of control. A factor related to the accident was the decision of the pilot to operate in close vicinity to the dirk bank.
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 helicopter was being repositioned onto a trailer when the tail swung to the left and impacted on a dirt bank located 25 feet from the trailer. The pilot was unable to control the helicopter and attempted to make a landing. The right skid touched down on the trailer and as the helicopter settled, it rolled over on its left side. The pilot reported the right turn was uncontrollable; however, post accident investigation by the FAA revealed no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. In addition they said, the continuity of the control rods and cables to the tail rotor was unable to be determined because the entire tail assembly was separated from the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2070P
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-3B-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3413
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-B1A, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Raymond D. Schuster
- Registered owner
- Ral Aviation Industries, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- AGC · Allegheny County
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
- 69
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,934 total · 221 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.