Bell 47-G5 accident near Pope Valley, CA
On January 12, 1996, a Bell 47-G5 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Pope Valley, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 12, 1996
- Place
- Pope Valley, CA
- Aircraft
- Bell 47-G5 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.669°N, 122.439°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05161
NTSB summary
On January 11, 1996, at 1600 hours Pacific standard time, a Bell 47-G5 helicopter, N1309X, crashed shortly after reloading a fertilizer broadcaster (bucket) from a loading platform near Pope Valley, California, while in a hover. The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules external load aerial application flight. The helicopter, registered to and operated by North Coast Helicopter Service, Napa, California, was destroyed by impact forces and the postimpact fire. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot had completed numerous aerial application flights and the departure time on the accident flight was not determined. A ground witness told a Napa County Sheriff's deputy that the pilot returned from the field and hovered the helicopter over the loading platform. He lowered the broadcaster and the ground crew loaded it with fertilizer. He said that the pilot raised the broadcaster and then turned the helicopter toward the downhill slope. The witness said that as the helicopter began to depart, a strong gust of wind pushed the helicopter back toward the loading platform and the cable from the broadcaster caught the edge of the truck. The helicopter made an abrupt left turn and descended to the ground and exploded. An FAA airworthiness inspector from the Sacramento [California] Flight Standards District Office conducted the on-scene investigation. The inspector reported confirmed the ground witnesses statement that the helicopter's cables became entangled with the truck. He said that th
Probable cause
the pilot misjudged the clearance between the broadcaster and the truck resulting in the broadcaster's cables becoming entangled with the truck.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
