Bell 47G N616X

Summary

On 21 September 1995 at about 19:15 local time, a Bell 47G registered N616X, operated by Gordon Wade, was involved in an accident near Union City, Tennessee, 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.

Date

21 September 1995 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Union City, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

36.4197, -89.0503

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N616X

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Gordon Wade

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL95LA171

Nobody was injured.

Failure of a #4 connecting rod bolt, which resulted in engine stoppage and a forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During flight, the pilot noted a severe vibration and elected to make an emergency autorotation. He landed with forward speed in a flat, open, bean field. The pilot reported that during the landing, the skids got caught in the beans, and the helicopter rolled over. A cabin fire followed shortly thereafter. A postcrash engine teardown revealed that a #4 connecting rod bolt had failed, resulting in engine stoppage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.