Pilot Debrief

Bell 47G-3B-1 near Shafter, CA — 2008-07-15

Final reportLAX08CA229
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Date
2008-07-15
Location
Shafter, CA, USA
Aircraft
Bell 47G-3B-1
Registration
N1390X
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the failure of the helicopter's lights during the night flight and the effect of that failure on the pilot's visual perception.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that a few minutes after taking off for a nighttime agricultural spray flight over an alfalfa field, the ground illumination lights in his helicopter went out. At the time, he was descending and maneuvering close to the ground on a spray run. The pilot reported that he did not see the field before impacting it with the spray boom. The helicopter rolled over and was substantially damaged.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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