Southwest Florida Aviation SW204 accident near Manila, AR
On August 27, 1997, a Southwest Florida Aviation SW204 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Manila, AR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 27, 1997
- Place
- Manila, AR
- Aircraft
- Southwest Florida Aviation SW204 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.879°N, 90.160°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08612
Official records · FTW97FA330
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 27, 1997, approximately 1010 central daylight time, a SW Florida Aviation SW204 helicopter, N482SA, was destroyed following an in-flight separation of a main rotor blade while maneuvering, near Manila, Arkansas. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the pilot, DBA Buffalo Island Flying Service, as a Title 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the helicopter, was fatally injured. The flight originated from the pilot's private airstrip near Manila, Arkansas, about 5 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot was applying the pesticide Karate to a nearby cotton field. There were no reported eyewitnesses to the helicopter crash; however, one witness reported hearing the sound of the engine RPM rapidly increasing followed by the sudden termination of the engine sound. Subsequently, the witness heard the sound of the helicopter impacting the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The non-instrument rated commercial pilot added a helicopter rating to his commercial certificate on November 25, 1979. According to the pilot's flight logbook, he had accumulated a total of 15,457.7 flight hours in all aircraft, of which 1,775.5 hours were in helicopters, with 85.3 hours in the Southwest Florida Aviation SW204 helicopter (converted military Bell UH-1B). The pilot's last biennial flight review (BFR) was completed in a Maule airplane on January 29, 1997. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION According to Bell Helicopter, the original manu
Probable cause
Fatigue failure of the main rotor blade resulting in the in-flight separation of the main rotor system due to the use of an unairworthy blade, and failure of the maintenance personnel who modified the rotor blade and the mechanic who complied with the Airworthiness Directive to locate the unapproved repair. A factor was the unapproved repair of the main rotor blade.
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Browse: Arkansas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
