Plane Crash List

Bell 47-D1 N908B

11 August 1997 · Holcomb, Mississippi, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 11 August 1997 at about 19:05 local time, a Bell 47-D1 registered N908B was involved in an accident near Holcomb, Mississippi, 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 19:05
Classification
Accident
Location
Holcomb, Mississippi, United States
Coordinates
33.7494, -89.9600
Aircraft
Bell 47-D1
Registration
N908B
Category
Helicopter
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 137: Agricultural
Purpose of flight
Aerial Application
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Taylor → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
ATL97LA121

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

The failure of the pilot to adequately see and avoid all obstructions while doing aerial application work.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated the cotton field he was going to spray with insecticide was lined with utility lines. He circled the field '2 or 3 times to locate obstructions', and began spraying. After finishing about half the field, he struck a utility line that was 'hidden by the surrounding trees'. The nose pitched up, and the utility line wrapped around the helicopter's mast. The helicopter then rotated 150 to 160 degrees to the left, and it settled to the ground in a 'hard landing'.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Bell 47 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
13 Jul 1997 Bell 47G-3B-1
N83701
Crossett, Arkansas, United States - Serious injuries -
19 Oct 1997 Bell 47-G3B
N47AH
Winston, Montana, United States - No injuries -
20 Sep 1997 Bell 47G-2
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McGee, Mississippi, United States Louis E. McCarthy No injuries -
3 Oct 1997 Bell 47G-2
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Burbank, California, United States John A. Ochwatt No injuries -
19 Aug 1997 Bell 47G-3B-2
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Montrose, Colorado, United States - No injuries -
30 Sep 1997 Bell 47
N9005T
Pipestone, Minnesota, United States - Serious injuries -

All 1,633 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
21 Apr 1997 Grumman G-164B
N6601Q
Ackerman, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
12 Oct 1997 Cessna 172P
N945SM
Wiggins, Mississippi, United States - Minor injuries -
2 Sep 1997 Learjet 31
N71JC
Aberdeen, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
19 Jun 1997 Spencer PITTS S-1S
N7211R
Greenwood, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
20 Jun 1997 Schweizer G-164B
N6816Q
Edwards, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
28 Sep 1997 Piper PA-28-181
N35652
Fulton, Mississippi, United States Alexander Beer-Teissier Minor injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States