- Date
- February 11, 2022, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fallon, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1023VBell 47
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220211001799A
- Case key
- 104639
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 failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a hover which, resulted in a collision with a hangar.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The helicopter pilot reported that, while hovering in front of a hangar he erroneously increased collective pitch, panicked, and lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter subsequently impacted the top of a hanger and rolled over. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1023V
- Reported as
- Bell 47 (G2)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2021
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 12,359
- Engine
- Lycoming VO435A1F, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Larry Turner
- Registered owner
- Larry Turner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 4, 2021 · 5.2 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FLX · Fallon Municipal
- Equipment
- None
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
- 84
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 16, 2022
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point -13 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.36 inHg
- Observed at
- KNFL
- METAR
- SA 11/03/2022 21:56-> METAR KNFL 112156Z VRB04KT 10SM SCT220 12/M25 A3036 RMK AO2 SLP239 T01221250=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 8, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.