Bell 47G N739B
4 April 1990 · La Verne, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 April 1990 at about 20:58 local time, a Bell 47G registered N739B, operated by Airborne Helicopters, was involved in an accident near La Verne, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Verne, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Brackett (POC)
- Coordinates
- 34.1504, -117.7607
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G
- Registration
- N739B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Airborne Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA137
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE HELICOPTER'S ROTOR SYSTEM BEING ALLOWED TO UNDERSPEED AS A RESULT OF IMPROPER USE OF FLIGHT CONTROLS BY THE DUAL STUDENT; IMPROPER SUPERVISION BY THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR; AND DELAYED REMEDIAL ACTION BY THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WHICH ALLOWED THE IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH THE RUNWAY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VIBRATE DURING TERMINATION OF A POWER RECOVERY AUTOROTATION. HE STATED THAT WHEN THE COMMERCIALLY RATED STUDENT PILOT APPLIED POWER, THE ENGINE DEVELOPED POWER, BUT THE ROTOR RPM DECAYED. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WAS LATE IN TAKING THE CONTROLS AND RECOVERING THE AIRCRAFT. AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE HELICOPTER AND FOUND NO PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1990 | Bell 47J-2 | Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States | Pigeon Forge Helicopters, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 May 1990 | Bell 47G | Riverside, California, United States | Riverside Air Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1990 | Bell 47G-3B1 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Badger Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 2 Apr 1990 | Bell 47G-3B-2 | Hillsboro, Oregon, United States | Western Helicopter Service | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 1990 | Bell 47-G3-B | Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States | Firefly, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1990 | Bell 47G-3B1 | Canon City, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |