- Date
- November 15, 1993, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1181WBell 47G3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931115046929A
- Case key
- 41862
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's improper flare. Factors include excessive airspeed while approaching the flare.
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
While coming in for a landing near a chemical loading truck, the pilot allowed his airspeed to remain high. During his attempt to land with excessive airspeed, the pilot made an improper flare, resulting in the tail rotor hoop hitting the ground, followed by a hard landing. As a result of the hard landing, the main rotor blades flexed down and cut through the top tail boom tubes.
Factual narrative
On November 15, 1993, at 1100 PST, a Bell BH-47G3B1 helicopter, N1181W, operated by Tri-City Helicopter, Inc., landed hard at Mesa, Washington. There was no flight plan filed for the local aerial application flight, conducted under 14 CFR 137 in visual meteorological conditions, that originated at the accident site about 1030, November 15, 1993. The commercial certificated pilot was not injured in the accident. The aircraft was substantially damaged. There was no fire. The operator reported that the pilot had approached the landing site with excessive airspeed, flared excessively during landing, struck the tail on the ground, and landed hard. This was followed by the main rotor blades flexing down and striking the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1181W
- Reported as
- Bell 47G3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2948
- Airframe hours
- 5,575
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Hood, Melvyn And Doris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 9, 1993
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F
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 N1181W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.