- Date
- December 7, 1992, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Montpelier, ID
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N58131Bell 47G3-B2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921207049829A
- Case key
- 42967
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The loss of engine power due to leaking internal carburetor seals, resulting from improper repair of the carburetor by an acft repair station.
Analysis
The pilot discontinued a wild game survey flight in mountainous terrain when the engine began running rough, and initiated a precautionary landing to a road nearby. The engine lost power on final approach about 50 ft. AGL at a slow airspeed and the helicopter landed hard. Examination of the carburetor revealed damaged and leaking seals. The carburetor had been repaired as needed by an acft repair station about two months before the accident.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58131
- Reported as
- Bell 47G3-B2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 6865
- Airframe hours
- 8,985
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-F1A, 280 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Wood, Brent V., doing business as Helo-Wood
- Registered owner
- Wood, Brent V.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 3, 1992 · 5 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 12,900 total · 12,750 in this make and model · 12,875 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIH, 70 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 N58131 · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.