ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 356066
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| Date: | Thursday 3 April 1997 |
| Time: | 19:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-2 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N90485 |
| MSN: | 696 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11082 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-435-A1F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Laredo, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | (KLRD) |
| (KLRD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was in the process of purchasing the helicopter from a business located at the airport. After a successful acceptance flight earlier that morning, the pilot landed the helicopter on the ramp, shut down, and finalized the deal. He had driven a trailer to the airport to transport the helicopter back to Louisiana after the purchase. The pilot stated that he descended slowly down to the trailer platform, positioning the left skid as close to the left rail as possible. Upon touch down, the helicopter slid about 1 inch to the right, but the left skid looked square to the left rail. As the pilot lowered the collective, he felt the helicopter drifting to the right skid and applied power and left lateral cyclic to arrest the drift. Subsequently, the craft banked sharply to the left and the rotor blades struck the ground. As the helicopter rolled to the left, the tail boom was severed. According to the pilot, this was the first time that he had landed on a stationary trailer. A FAA inspector reported that the width of the trailer was about 4 inches wider than the helicopter's landing skids.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain alignment while landing on a stationary trailer. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in trailer landing operations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97LA150
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 20 September 1997 | N90485 | Private | 0 | Mcgee, MS | |
sub |
| 4 June 2003 | N90485 | Pegasus Helicopter Services Inc. | 0 | Franklinton, Louisiana | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 18:44 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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