- Date
- June 24, 1989, 08:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Centralia, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1161NBell 47G-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890624017339A
- Case key
- 41038
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 pilot misjudged his clearance over trees, which resulted in an in-flight tail rotor strike with the trees and loss of tail rotor control. The trees were a related factor.
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 was making a turn around maneuver over trees between swath runs, when he heard a loud 'pop' & lost tail rotor control. The helicopter began rotating & the plt initiated an autorotation. However, the helicopter impacted while it was rotating, then it rolled over. An exam of the tail rotor drive sys revealed damage to the tail rotor blades, as wellas torsional failure of the tail rotor drive shaft, but no preimpact part failure was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1161N
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 42
- Airframe hours
- 9,852
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Kermit D. Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 1989 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- Centrailia, 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 6,000 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 55 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OLM, 20 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.
Other investigations on N1161N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.