Bell 47G-2 N11VH

Summary

On 26 August 1999 at about 18:25 local time, a Bell 47G-2 registered N11VH, operated by Beightol, Steven, L., was involved in an accident near Benton City, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 August 1999 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Benton City, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.2409, -119.4909

Aircraft

Bell 47G-2

Registration

N11VH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Beightol, Steven, L.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99LA149

1 person died.

A loss of power for undetermined reasons and the failure of the pilot to maintain adequate rotor RPM following the power loss. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of certification and total experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot, who had been building the helicopter for several years, had recorded a total of 5 hours of flight experience in 1988 and an additional 10 hours in 1999 (July 19th through August 24th). Although all his flight time had been logged as 'dual,' family members reported that a number of the eight flights conducted in 1999 (all in the accident helicopter), had been flown solo. An ear witness reported hearing the helicopter depart followed by a 'popping' sound and then silence. The witness then observed a plume of smoke. A mechanic stated that the pilot reported having engine problems and then borrowed a used carburetor and the pilot's logbook contained an entry dated 8/16/99 with the remark 'flight test changed carb running good.' The aircraft impacted terrain in a steep descent and wreckage distribution was confined to a small area. Minimal leading edge rotor blade damage was noted and the engine/rotor RPM indicator was observed to display '0' and '170' RPM respectively at the site. The center portion of the helicopter including the engine and transmission were heavily damaged in the post-crash fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.