Texas M47A WASP N43921
27 August 1990 · Stockton, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 August 1990 at about 07:10 local time, a Texas M47A WASP registered N43921 was involved in an accident near Stockton, California, United States. One person was 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 07:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stockton, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.9596, -121.2594
- Aircraft
- Texas M47A WASP
- Registration
- N43921
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90DVD03
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT MISJUDGED THE ALTITUDE DURING THE FLARE/TOUCHDOWN PHASE OF THE AUTOROTATION. FACTORS RELATING TO THIS ACCIDENT ARE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAGNETO.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT LANDED THE HELICOPTER AND IT WAS RELOADED WITH CHEMICALS FOR ANOTHER AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING FLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING THE LOAD SITE, THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD SOUND ENAMATE FROM THE ENGINE AREA FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND VIBRATION. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATION TO THE OPEN AREA, BUT MISJUDGED THE FLARE ALTITUDE AND EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING WHICH CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAGNETO CONTACT POINTS FAILED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
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 | - |