- Date
- June 12, 1986, 04:45 local (11:45 UTC)
- Place
- Zillah, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N11VHBell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860612029399A
- Case key
- 40421
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
En route to the local spray area a total loss of power occurred along with a loss of oil pressure. The acft was aprx 200 ft AGL over a pear orchard. The plt was attempting to autorotate onto a nearby road but the left skid caught the roof top of a metal shed. The helicopter crashed through the roof of the shed and rolled over onto its side. Investigation revealed that the number three cylinder rod bolt had failed. Metallurgical exam revealed that the number 3 cylinder connecting rod cap had failed as a result of overstress forces due to excessive heating of the rod and cap. Failure of the number 3 cylinder connecting rod bolt was due to fatigue cracking. The most likely cause of the overheating was due to a deteriorated bearing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11VH
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2027
- Airframe hours
- 9,124
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-BIA, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Valicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 22, 1986 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- Buena, WA
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,086 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,894 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °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.
Other investigations on N11VH · 6
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.