Bell 47GL accident near Cullman, Alabama, February 17, 1984
On February 17, 1984 at about 3:04 pm local time, a Bell 47GL (helicopter), registered N12KH, was destroyed in an accident near Cullman, Alabama. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- February 17, 1984 · about 3:04 pm local time
- Place
- Cullman, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47GL · all 47GLs on the register
- Registration
- N12KH · no longer on the register · serial CC1-73-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD JUST COMPLETED AN ENG OVERHAUL & WAS TEST FLYING THE HELICOPTER. WHILE MANEUVERING AT APRX 100 FT AGL, THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PLT INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION. DURING THE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED HARD ON RISING TERRAIN, ROLLED ONTO ITS SIDE & BURNED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENG HAD SEIZED. CONTAMINATION HAD ENTERED THE OIL SYSTEM DURING THE OVERHAUL WHICH HAD RESULTED IN THE SEIZURE. THE PLT WAS NOT A CERTIFIED POWERPLANT MECHANIC.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,197 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,084 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.