History of Flight
On August 12, 2014, about 1045 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-5 helicopter, registration N7089J, impacted a powerline and terrain near Mansfield, Illinois. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter, registered to and operated by Reynolds Aerial Service LLC, was conducting an aerial application flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. Day visual flight rules conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Mansfield, Illinois, at an unknown time.
A witness living near the accident site observed the helicopter flying at low altitude. He reported that after the helicopter cleared the tree line on the west side of his property, it was caught by a gust of wind that struck the right side of the aircraft, jerking it up and to the left directly into power lines. The left long extension spray boom contacted the top line, causing the helicopter to flip upside down. The witness called 911 and drove to the field, finding the helicopter inverted in a bean field.
Personnel Information
The 47-year-old pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument helicopter. He held an FAA second-class medical certificate dated January 24, 2014, on which he reported 4,500 total flight hours and 100 hours in the preceding six months. The application was deferred and later approved with no limitations.
Aircraft Information
N7089J, a Bell 47G-5 helicopter (serial number 25032), was manufactured in 1971 and issued a normal category airworthiness certificate. The type certificate data sheet indicated a two-seat configuration and a maximum gross weight of 2,850 pounds. The helicopter was configured for agriculture and pest control, and a restricted category airworthiness certificate was issued on May 17, 2012. The last annual inspection was conducted on April 2, 2014, at 13,270.4 total hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1053, the recorded weather at the University of Illinois-Willard Airport (near Champaign/Urbana, Illinois) was: wind 320 degrees at 16 knots gusting to 21 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 2,000 feet, scattered clouds at 2,800 feet, broken clouds at 3,500 feet, temperature 21°C, dew point 15°C, altimeter 29.91 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The helicopter came to rest about 1,850 feet at a bearing of 310 degrees from the intersection of County Highway 2 and County Road 3200 North. An FAA inspector examined the wreckage and removed the GPS unit. Separated powerlines were observed near the site, with a witness mark melted into the leading edge of a main rotor blade. One powerline was stretched and the top of its pole broken. The helicopter impacted ground approximately 250 feet southwest of the separated powerlines and came to rest on a southeast heading in a bean field at an elevation of about 805 feet MSL.
Flight Recorders
The helicopter was equipped with an AgNav Guia P152 GPS (serial number 152110418), a compact device with a 6.5-inch color moving map display. It could interface with an agricultural light bar for directional guidance and had an obstacle warning feature compatible with FAA tower obstacle data.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Piatt County Coroner's Office listed blunt force trauma as the cause of death. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's toxicology report detected 0.161 ug/ml diphenhydramine in heart blood, diphenhydramine in urine, ibuprofen in urine, and naproxen in urine. Diphenhydramine is an over-the-counter antihistamine used for colds, hay fever, and as a sleep aid, with an FDA warning that it may impair mental and/or physical ability for hazardous tasks. Ibuprofen and naproxen are nonnarcotic analgesics/anti-inflammatories.
Tests and Research
The GPS track log data was downloaded and decoded. Data from August 12, 2014, showed the helicopter began logging near the northeast corner of a farmer's field south of E. 3300 North Rd at approximately 1000. It flew in the vicinity for about 42 minutes. At around 1041:48, the helicopter was heading west at 28.9 mph and a GPS altitude of 827 feet MSL, then descended to as low as 810 feet MSL before an increasing altitude trend. The last recorded data point was about 2,500 feet at 235 degrees from the rest location.