- Date
- April 2, 1992, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Miltonfreewater, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N7920SBell 47G3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920402008299A
- Case key
- 41648
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 inadequate prelight preparation by the pilot in his failure to ensure the filler hose was removed before attempting to takeoff.
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 was conducting continuous aerial application flts from a field site, and had landed to refuel and reload chemical. He attempted to takeoff with the chemical filler hose attached, lost control, and the acft landed hard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7920S
- Reported as
- Bell 47G3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 6592
- Airframe hours
- 1,672
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435B1A, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- R. Gary Knight
- Registered owner
- R. Gary Knight
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 5, 1992 · 99 hours before
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 902 total · 651 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALW, 13 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 N7920S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.