Bell 407 N97SP
17 August 1999 · Georgetown, Delaware, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 17 August 1999 at about 08:44 local time, a Bell 407 registered N97SP, operated by Delaware State Police, was involved in an accident near Georgetown, Delaware, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 08:44
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Georgetown, Delaware, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sussex County Airport (GED)
- Coordinates
- 38.6904, -75.3795
- Aircraft
- Bell 407
- Registration
- N97SP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Delaware State Police
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- NYC99GA197
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight evaluation of the weather, which resulted in inadvertent flight into IMC. Factors were the fog, and night conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The State Police helicopter departed on a night flight within the state. Climbing through about 200 feet, the helicopter encountered low clouds. The pilot initiated a return to the airport. During the turn to the airport, he lost sight of the ground. The observer called to the pilot just prior to ground impact, and the pilot was able to cushion the ground impact. However, the skids collapsed. The pilot reported that on the way to the airport, he drove through patches of fog. At the airport, he could see 2 miles ground visibility with stars visible overhead, and therefore, he did not check weather. Recorded weather at the airport 1 hour prior to the accident reported a ceiling of 100 feet broken, 700 feet overcast and 10 minutes after the accident, a ceiling of 100 feet overcast. Similar observations were recorded at the closest weather stations to the north and south of the departure airport.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 407 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 1999 | Bell 407 | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Banco Rural | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Oct 1998 | Bell 407 | Salta, Argentina | - | Unknown | - |
| 5 Jun 2000 | Bell 407 | Lake Placid, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1998 | Bell 407 | Vermilion 331 | Petroleum Helicopters Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jul 2000 | Bell 407 | Golden, Canada | Alpine Helicopters Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Dec 2000 | Bell 407 | Gilchrist, Texas, United States | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1999 | Cessna 172G | Dover, Delaware, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1999 | Cessna 172R | Cheswold, Delaware, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Dec 1999 | Cessna P210N | Greenwood, Delaware, United States | Merle L. Embleton | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1998 | Cessna 172G | Dover, Delaware, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 2000 | Cessna 150 | Freemont, Delaware, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-38 | Cheswold, Delaware, United States | - | No injuries | - |