No fatalities

27 Jul 2011: BELL 47G-2A — SCOTTS HELICOPTERS SERVICE INC — Nicolett, MN

Nicolett, MN, United States

On 27 Jul 2011, a BELL 47G-2A operated by SCOTTS HELICOPTERS SERVICE INC was involved in an aviation accident near Nicolett, MN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter while maneuvering during an aerial application flight. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 5 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter struck tall corn during a low-level turn, severing part of its tailboom. The pilot reported no mechanical issues, noting the aircraft lost altitude despite full throttle.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that during a low-level aerial application maneuver, the helicopter gained altitude and he initiated a turn. The pilot stated that the turn "did not feel right," so he leveled off and stopped the turn. He then lowered the collective and added full throttle. According to the pilot, the helicopter's RPMs were in the bottom of the green arc. Subsequently, the helicopter began losing altitude and impacted tall corn.

The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter.

Damage Assessment

The helicopter sustained substantial damage when the main rotor separated a section of its tailboom during the impact with the corn.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on equipmentAttain/maintain not possible