Bell 47G-4A accident near Rochester, MN
On July 24, 2010, a Bell 47G-4A (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Rochester, MN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 24, 2010
- Place
- Rochester, MN
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4A · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.050°N, 92.326°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100725X05225
Official records · CEN10LA431
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 24, 2010, at 1400 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-4A, N124SH, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain after a loss of engine power at low altitude near Rochester, Minnesota. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Scotts Helicopter Services under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an agricultural flight. The helicopter was en route to a field after it had refueled and reloaded its chemical load when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. A witness, who was the spray truck driver, reported that the pilot returned from a spray run and had the helicopter refueled and the hopper filled with chemical. The witness watched it depart toward a field about a mile away. He stated that the engine sounded normal, and that there was nothing unusual about its departure or flight path. Then he saw a "brown puff of smoke" from the helicopter in-flight, and the helicopter almost immediately descended and impacted a small hill. The helicopter wreckage came to rest on the other side of the hill. There was no ground fire. The witness reported that the pilot had performed about 16 spray runs during the day, and that the pilot looked healthy and normal before the flight. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe 68-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land airplane and helicopter ratings. The pilot's second class medical certificate issued on July 13, 2010, required that the p
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to a high-cycle fatigue fracture of a first-stage compressor blade. The reason for the fracture could not be determined during postaccident examination.
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Browse: Minnesota · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
