ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 280743
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Monday 17 June 1985 |
| Time: | 12:15 UTC |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-3B-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Time Choppers Ltd |
| Registration: | G-CHOP |
| MSN: | WA380/WAN-79 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Upper Clatford, near Andover, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Thruxton Airfield (EGHO) |
Bell 47G-3B-1 G-CHOP: Ex-Army Air Corps Sioux HT.1 XT221 (MSN WA380). Delivered early 1967. Struck off charge and civil registered as G-CHOP on 19 December 1978.
Substantially damaged in a flying accident On 17 June 1985: the pilot was undergoing crop spraying refresher training in Bell 47G G-CHOP in order to obtain a crop spraying licence that would be recognised by the FAA in the United States. He had made a successful solo crop dusting flight on a farm at Upper Clatford, near Andover, Hampshire, and was leaving the sprayed area when he flew into overhead electricity cables. The main and tail rotors of the Bell made contact with the cables, scarring the former and fouling the latter. Despite the tail rotor drive being sheared by the contact, the pilot was able safely to land the Bell without injury to himself or further damage to it.
Repaired and returned to service, and has gone through seven further owners since then (in total, nine UK civilian owners between 19 December 1978 and the present day; last re-registered 7 April 2010)
The crash location of Upper Clatford is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. The village is in the valley of the River Anton, 3.5 miles upstream from the point where it joins the River Test at the south.
Trivia: G-CHOP was hired to make an appearance in the 2011 movie "X-Men - First Class" Starring: James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lensherr),Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw) Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert) and Jennifer Lawrence (Raven / Mystique). X-Men: First Class (2011) is the fifth film in the X-Men film franchise. Set primarily in October 1962, during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis - a slight anachronism as G-CHOP was built in 1966 (see link #5)
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f28ae5274a131700041b/Enstrom_F-28A-UK_G-BBIH_08-86.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-CHOP.pdf
3. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=XT
4. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?AirframeSN=91778
5. https://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=X-Men:_First_Class#Westland_Bell_47G-3B-1
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Clatford
Media:
G-CHOP Bell 47G at Borth, near Aberwrystwyth, Wales, 21/7/1980:
G-CHOP: Westland-Bell 47G at Wellesbourne Mountford, Warwickshire 17/5/14
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jul-2022 00:38 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation