Bell/Soloy 47G-3B accident near Magee, Mississippi, April 27, 1982
On April 27, 1982 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Bell/Soloy 47G-3B (helicopter), registered N8469E, was destroyed in an accident near Magee, Mississippi. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 27, 1982 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Magee, Mississippi
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell/Soloy 47G-3B
- Registration
- N8469E · no longer on the register · serial 2644
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BELL 47G-3B WITH A SOLOY CONVERSION WAS BEING USED TO DEMONSTRATE AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAYING TECHNIQUE FOR USE ALONG POWERLINE RIGHT-OF-WAYS. FOR ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, ROUTINE SPRAY RUNS WERE MADE OVER SEVERAL DIFFERENT POWERLINES WHILE USING WATER AS A SPRAY. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, A SPRAY RUN WAS MADE FROM WEST TO EAST WITH A PULL-UP AND TURN-AROUND OVER POWERLINES ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE AREA. THE PILOT STATED THAT FOLLOWING THE TURN-AROUND, BOTH THE CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO VIBRATE. HE STATED THE ENGINE WAS PERFORMING SATISFACTORILY AND THE ROTOR RPM WAS NORMAL. WITNESSES STATED THE HELICOPTER REMAINED IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE UNTIL IMPACT. AFTER THE OCCUPANTS WERE REMOVED, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN BURNING. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE FIRE DAMAGE, NO USEFUL INFORMATION WAS FOUND REGARDING THE FLIGHT CONTROL, HYDRAULIC, OR OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE BODY FRAME AREA.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 5,760 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,534 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,860 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 20B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Chemaire Of Mississippi, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Magee MS at 6:30 am
- Destination: Magee MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.