- Date
- December 6, 1978
- Place
- Castroville, CA · CASTROVILLE, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8404EBell 47G2
- Status
- Completed · report February 7, 1979
- Report
- Brief approved by the director
- FAA report
- 19781206040789A
- Case key
- 138306
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
NTSB brief
NTSB’s brief of the accident, as it was printed: the coded facts, with the probable cause and factors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA F S M/N PURPOSE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-3740 78/12/6 NR.CASTROVILLE,CA BELL 47G2 CR- 0 0 1 COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL, AGE 33, 4765 TIME - 0830 N8404E PX- 0 0 0 AERIAL APPLICATION TOTAL HOURS, 645 IN TYPE, DAMAGE-SUBSTANTIAL OT- 0 0 0 NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. DEPARTURE POINT INTENDED DESTINATION ROGERS ROAD HAYMORE RANCH TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION COLLIDED WITH: WIRES/POLES IN FLIGHT: PULLUP FROM SWATH RUN HARD LANDING LANDING: POWER-OFF AUTOROTATIVE LANDING PROBABLE CAUSE(S) PILOT IN COMMAND - MISJUDGED DISTANCE EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCES - FORCED LANDING OFF AIRPORT ON LAND SPECIAL DATA TOTAL HOURS IN CROP CONTROL - 3500 KIND OF OPERATION - SPRAYING CROPS KIND OF CROP - OTHER TYPE OF CHEMICAL USED - LIQUID CHEMICAL-TOXIC PILOT' S SEAT BELT -UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED GLOVES - NOT USED GOGGLES - NOT USED CRASH HELMET - AVAILABLE USED COCKPIT CRASHPAD - NOT INSTALLED CRASH BAR - NOT INSTALLED TANK/HOPPER-LOCATION - AFT OF PILOT TERRAIN-TYPE -LEVEL,FLAT ELEVATION-AREA BEING TREATED-FEET - 35 SWATH RUN-HOW FLOWN - WIND CALM REMARKS- LANDING AREA WAS PRIVATE ROAD.SPRAYING ARTICHOKES,WIRE STRIKE RSLTD IN LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8404E
- Reported as
- Bell 47G2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engine
- reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
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.
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 N8404E · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.
NTSB LAX86LA070Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportMoss, CAAfter starting a left climbing turn at the end of a spray run the plt said he felt a 'shudder in the airframe' as the engine 'went to full RPM.' The plt stated that he thought 'the clutch had slipped' and added collective to compensate. The helicopter began…NTSB LAX85LA035Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCastroville, CAAt the beginning of a swath run a total loss of power occurred. During the hard forced landing, the main rotor blades severed the tail boom. The helicopter fuel tanks were found empty after the accident.