ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 353515
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| Date: | Friday 4 December 1998 |
| Time: | 03:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-3B-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Sundown Helicopters |
| Registration: | N3084G |
| MSN: | 2916 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5521 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TVO-435-BIA |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winterhaven, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot had been spraying the field for about 3 hours. He attempted to take off at or over gross weight and the rotor rpm began to decay. The helicopter was positioned perpendicular to the furrowed rows in the field and when the pilot attempted to land the left skid dug into the mud. The aircraft bounced forward and the main rotor blades flexed downward and severed the tailboom. The pilot reported that he had not experienced any mechanical discrepancies with the aircraft prior to the accident. He further stated that he had not experienced any problems with the engine during the accident.
Probable Cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain rotor rpm. A factor was his attempt to take off over gross weight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX99LA049
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 February 2001 | N3084G | Sundown Helicopters, Inc. | 0 | Winterhaven, CA | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Mar-2024 07:36 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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