Bell 47G accident near Southwick, Massachusetts, July 15, 1992
On July 15, 1992 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N3109G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Southwick, Massachusetts (Scibelli Heliport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER ADJUSTMENT OF THE STABILIZER CONTROL SYSTEM BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1992 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Southwick, Massachusetts · Scibelli Heliport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G · all 47Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3109G · no longer on the register · serial 407
- 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 PILOT WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN DURING A HOVER-TAXI CHECK AS PART OF A POST-MAINTENANCE FLIGHT TEST. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED TO ROLL RIGHT (UNCOMMANDED), AND HE WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL DESPITE USING LEFT CYCLIC INPUT. THE MAIN ROTORS STRUCK THE GROUND, AND THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN, RIGHT BANK, ATTITUDE. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER INCLUDED A TEST OF THE HYDRAULIC DAMPERS WHICH WERE CONNECTED TO THE STABILIZER BAR ASSEMBLY. THE TEST REVEALED THAT THE DAMPERS WERE NOT ADJUSTED ADEQUATELY, WHICH RESULTED IN LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE TO CYCLIC CONTROL INPUT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,200 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 6,950 as pilot in command; 2,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,397 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 1992; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6MA3 at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.