ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45037
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 October 2003 |
| Time: | 11:40 |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-2A-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N73979 |
| MSN: | 2875 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1963 |
| Engine model: | Textron Lycoming VO-435-A1F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Balm, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Balm, FL |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The witness to the accident stated that around 1100 he had gone for a ride in the helicopter with the pilot. The ride lasted for 20 to 30 minutes and when they landed, he got out and his friend got in to go for a ride. The helicopter took off and was gone for about 15 minutes. When it returned, he was standing in front of the hangar beside another bystander. The helicopter flew by twice, once from south to north, a second time from north to south and then turned to come from west to east. As the helicopter approached, the witness estimated it was about 8 to 12 feet off the ground. He was taking pictures with a disposable camera and the bystander was filming the helicopter's flight with a video camera. The witness stated that he believed the pilot was performing a fly-by so that he and the bystander could take pictures. He further stated that he believed "the blades on top of the helicopter struck the hangar above where [the bystander] and I were standing." The bystander was "struck by something" and fell to the ground beside him. The witness then looked to the right and saw the helicopter impact a small fishing boat and pickup truck that were parked just northeast of the hangar. The helicopter came to rest nose down, partially inverted in the cavity of the boat.. The videotape recovered from the video camera depicted the helicopter maneuvering in a manner consistent with the witness's description of the event. The tape also appeared to depict the belly or skid gear of the helicopter striking the video camera and/or the person holding the camera on the final pass. Examination of the accident site indicated that the helicopter's main rotor blades impacted the eaves of the hangar immediately above the location where the witness and bystander were standing. No evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies with the airframe or engine were found that would have prevented normal operation of the helicopter. The FAA had no record of the pilot having a valid airman or medical certificate. Friends and family members of the pilot reported that he had been flying the helicopter for many years.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional buzzing and his failure to maintain altitude/clearance which resulted in an in-flight collision with a building.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20031024X01809&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 19:58 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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