Bell 47D1 WASP accident near Hazel Green, Alabama, September 13, 1994
On September 13, 1994 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 WASP (helicopter), registered N908B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hazel Green, Alabama (Jones Field). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1994 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Hazel Green, Alabama · Jones Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 WASP · all 47D1 WASPs on the register
- Registration
- N908B · registry record · serial 479
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT DURING DEPARTURE FROM THE AERIAL APPLICATION LOADING AREA, AN UNDETERMINED MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. THE PILOT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF, AND MADE A SLIDE-ON LANDING TO THE GRASSY AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND ADJACENT CROPS. DURING THE SLIDING STOP, THE SPRAY BOOM CAUGHT IN THE CROPS, THE RIGHT SKID COLLAPSED, AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. THE ENGINE WAS EXAMINED WITH NO ANOMALIES FOUND. DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS 2300 FEET.
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: 8,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,206 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 1994; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:50 pm
- Destination: NONE AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from HSV, 15 miles away
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 N908B 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.