ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45225
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| Date: | Tuesday 6 May 2003 |
| Time: | 19:15 |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-2 |
| Owner/operator: | Versatile Helicopters Inc. |
| Registration: | N1774 |
| MSN: | SA-52 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10206 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming V0-435-A1D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Ardmore, OK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ardmore, OK (1F0) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After completing a precision instrument landing approach (ILS), the pilot of the accident helicopter requested a clearance for another ILS approach. Prior to the outer marker, the pilot broke off the ILS approach and proceeded to execute a very high frequency omni range (VOR) approach at the departure airport. After completion of the VOR approach, the helicopter over flew the airport and departed the area to the south. Shortly thereafter, a pilot reported that he heard a radio transmission from the pilot of the helicopter that they were having "throttle linkage problems and were trying to make it back to the airport." A few minutes later the witness heard the pilot state "they were in the pattern and for all aircraft to clear the way", no further radio transmissions were received. Another witness, who was fishing approximately one mile east of the accident site, reported that as the helicopter flew by him in a level attitude, he heard "3 bangs," and then "the engine became silent." The witness stated that the main rotor blades were turning, and the helicopter started descending at a "slight angle." The witness lost site of the helicopter when it descended below a tree line. A third witness located approximately one half north of the accident site reported observing the helicopter descending through approximately 200 feet, "really fast nose first." He stated "all he could hear was the [rotor]blades like they were trying to catch air." No structural or mechanical anomalies were observed during the examination of the helicopter.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to control the rate of descent, which resulted in an improper touchdown of the helicopter. A contributing factor was the loss of throttle control for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030514X00663&key=1
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 January 1970 | N1774 | New England He | 0 | South Hadley, MA | |
w/o |
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 18:44 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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