Bell 47G2 N96MB
14 August 2004 · Muncie, Indiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 August 2004 at about 20:00 local time, a Bell 47G2 registered N96MB was involved in an accident near Muncie, Indiana, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Muncie, Indiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.1550, -85.3167
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G2
- Registration
- N96MB
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Muncie → Muncie
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI04CA229
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The engine failure for an undetermined reason, and the pilot's inability to properly level-off for landing due to the low rotor speed, which resulted in the hard landing. The low altitude where the engine failure occurred was a factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter was damaged when it impacted terrain during an attempted forced landing following a complete loss of engine power. The helicopter had just taken off and was at 50 feet altitude and 45 miles per hour when the pilot heard two loud "bangs" followed by a complete loss of power. The pilot stated that he performed an autorotation to a flat area near the airport. He stated that as he "approached touchdown [he] raised collective to cushion the impact but with so little altitude an autorotation gave very little rotor speed." He stated that the helicopter struck the ground in a level attitude while moving forward, the skids collapsed and the helicopter broke apart. No defects were found with respect to the helicopter's engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47G2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 2001 | Bell 47G2 | Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States | Versatile Helicopters Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 1999 | Bell 47G2 | Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Dec 1998 | Bell 47G2 | Helendale, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 1997 | Bell 47G2 | Mojave, California, United States | National Test Pilot School | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 1995 | Bell 47G2 | Montrose, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 1994 | Bell 47G2 | Baldwin, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 2004 | Cessna 150L | Corydon, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2004 | Piper PA-24 | Rockville, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 2004 | Utterback MUSTANG II | Kendallville, Indiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 2004 | Pilatus PC-12/45 | South Bend, Indiana, United States | Greenhill Aviation Co., LLC | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2004 | Cessna 172S | Fishers, Indiana, United States | Indianapolis Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 2004 | Cessna 172M | Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |