Bell 47G-2 N4771N

Summary

On 2 August 2011 at about 16:30 local time, a Bell 47G-2 registered N4771N, operated by Scotts Helicopter Services Inc, was involved in an accident near Charles City, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 August 2011 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Charles City, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

43.0725, -92.6106

Aircraft

Bell 47G-2

Registration

N4771N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Scotts Helicopter Services Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Charles City → Charles City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA540

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to refuel the helicopter which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that prior to the accident flight the pilot was distracted during a refueling operation. The distraction involved ground personnel entering the helicopter cabin after landing to discuss the next spraying operation with the pilot. After the conversation, the pilot departed without refueling the helicopter. While completing an aerial application, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot initiated an autorotation, during which the helicopter impacted terrain. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed the tail boom was partially separated and the landing gear skids were bent. The operator reported that approximately 3.5 quarts of fuel were drained from the fuel tanks, and 2 gallons of fuel were considered unusable.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.