Bell-Cont 42G EL TOMCAT-MK5A accident near Oswego, South Carolina, July 2, 1982
On July 2, 1982 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Bell-Cont 42G EL TOMCAT-MK5A (helicopter), registered N73871, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oswego, South Carolina (Farm Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1982 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Oswego, South Carolina · Farm Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell-Cont 42G EL TOMCAT-MK5A EL TOMCAT-
- Registration
- N73871 · no longer on the register · serial CCI163
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO STUDY COTTON FIELDS THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN ASSIGNED TO SPRAY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HE STATED THAT DURING A LANDING APPROACH ON A FARM FIELD ROAD, A WASP LANDED ON HIS LEFT ARM AND STARTED STINGING. THE PILOT ALLOWED THE ROTOR RPM TO DROP, AN EXCESSIVE SINK RATE DEVELOPED, AND THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,918 hours in all; 1,334 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 7,751 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,339 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 AIF (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ac Rotor INC
The flight
- Departed from: Dalzell SC at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Dalzell SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N73871 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.