Bell 47G-3B-1 N7901S

Summary

On 15 January 1998 at about 22:30 local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 registered N7901S was involved in an accident near Magdalena, New Mexico, 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.

Date

15 January 1998 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Magdalena, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

34.1092, -107.2293

Aircraft

Bell 47G-3B-1

Registration

N7901S

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Magdalena → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98TA099

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm. A factor was a lack of recent experience in the type of operation being performed.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was being used in the Federal Government's predator control program. The pilot said he and his passenger were flying north and entered a draw. The prey they were chasing (a coyote) turned east and they flew over it at low airspeed and altitude. The pilot was having 'trouble maintaining rotor rpm.' With higher terrain in front and to his left, he elected to turn east in hopes of exiting the draw to the south. Trees and rough terrain forced him to continue eastward. The pilot found himself below a draw and he pulled collective control. This aggravated the low rpm condition, but the helicopter cleared the rim. On the other side of the rim, the ground sloped down at a 40 degree angle and the pilot tried to stretch his descent towards flatter terrain in an attempt to make a run-on landing. The helicopter impacted the terrain and was substantially damaged. The FAA inspector who went to the scene wrote, 'There is no apparent reason for the helicopter to have lost rpm. Review of the pilot records indicate only 14 hours of flight time in the last 90 days and no training in the last three years, and the last biennial flight review was almost 20 months ago.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.