Bell 47G-2A accident near Mc Intosh, Alabama, September 8, 1987
On September 8, 1987 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2A (helicopter), registered N1200W, was destroyed in an accident near Mc Intosh, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- September 8, 1987 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mc Intosh, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2A · all 47G-2As on the register
- Registration
- N1200W · no longer on the register · serial 2669
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING USED TO SET FIRES TO BURN OFF UNDERBRUSH IN A COMMERCIAL FOREST PRIOR TO CUTTING OF TREES. THE PLT LANDED THE HELICOPTER ON A MOBILE TRANSPORT TRAILER AT THE COMPLETION OF THE DAY'S WORK. THE HELICOPTER ENGINE HAD BEEN SHUT OFF AND THE ROTOR BLADES WERE COASTING TO A STOP. PREVIOUSLY SET FIRE GENERATED WIND WHICH LIFTED THE TAIL OF THE HELICOPTER. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES HIT THE GROUND AND THE HELICOPTER FUEL TANK, SPILLING FUEL WHICH IGNITED.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,444 hours in all; 505 in this make and model; 440 in the last 90 days; 2,248 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.