ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 359049
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| Date: | Thursday 4 May 1995 |
| Time: | 11:45 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-5A |
| Owner/operator: | Wiggins Airways, Inc. |
| Registration: | N444GW |
| MSN: | 25145 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2526 hours |
| Engine model: | LYCOMING VO-435-B1A1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Middleboro, MA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PILOT HAD MADE SEVERAL PREVIOUS AERIAL APPLICATION RUNS OVER A CRANBERRY BOG. AT THE END OF A SOUTHEAST RUN, THE PILOT STARTED A 'NORMAL AG TURN' TO THE RIGHT. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE TURN, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 30 TO 35 FEET, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN AN ABRUPT, UNCONTROLLED DESCENT TOWARD THE GROUND. THE PILOT APPLIED COLLECTIVE PITCH, WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE RATE OF DESCENT, AND THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE HELICOPTER ENGINE OR THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WAS DETECTED. WINDS AT THE ACCIDENT SITE WERE FORM 220 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER APPEARED TO HOVER AT 30 TO 35 FEET, STARTED THE RIGHT TURN, THEN DESCENDED RAPIDLY TO THE GROUND.
Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a low altitude aerial application turn, which resulted in inadvertent settling with power and the subsequent collision with the terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC95LA100
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Mar-2024 06:27 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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