Bell 47 N8478D

Summary

On 10 July 2001 at about 14:30 local time, a Bell 47 registered N8478D was involved in an accident near Indianola, 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.

Date

10 July 2001 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Indianola, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

33.4507, -90.7495

Aircraft

Bell 47

Registration

N8478D

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indianola → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

ATL01LA075

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper use of flight controls during an autorotation that resulted inn the collapse of the skids and cross tube assembly. A factor was the loss of engine power due to the failure of # 1 connecting rod and the overload failure of the skids and cross tub assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while enroute to the next field to be sprayed, at 500 feet, the engine lost power. After attempts to restore full power, the pilot selected a nearby field. During the autorotative touchdown, the helicopter rolled over on the right side. During the engine examination, metal particles were recovered from the engine oil pump screen and the engine oil filter element. Further examination showed that # 1 cylinder connecting rod cap was wedged between the second crankshaft lobe and the engine case. The examination of the helicopter also revealed that the landing skid and cross-tubs were fractured into several pieces. The fracture examination showed all fractures were in overload. The engine had accumulated a total of 935.1 hours since the last major overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.