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| Date: | Friday 17 July 1998 |
| Time: | 13:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-3B1 |
| Owner/operator: | Olathe Spray Service, Inc. |
| Registration: | N92HA |
| MSN: | 3696 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6260 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TVO-435-B1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Olathe, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | (1C04) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While on its third aerial application pass, to dispense a rinse load, the helicopter flew into its own wake turbulence and had insufficient power to overcome the settling which ensued. The helicopter struck the ground in a nose low attitude and the main rotor blades severed the tail boom. Density altitude at the time was computed to be approximately 8,900 feet.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning which resulted in an encounter with his own wake turbulence. Related factors were high density altitude and wake turbulence.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW98LA315
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 25 September 1995 | N92HA | Ward Aviation, Inc. | 0 | Union Church, MS | |
sub |
| 12 September 2007 | N360SS | Olathe Spray Service, Inc. | 0 | Avondale, Colorado | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Mar-2024 19:13 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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