Bell 47D1 accident near Sidney, Ohio, August 22, 1995
On August 22, 1995 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N9115R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sidney, Ohio. It was an instructional flight 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
the student pilot's abrupt touchdown while landing in a field. Related factors are the student pilot's failure to attain the proper descent rate during the approach to landing, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the student.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1995 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sidney, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N9115R · registry record · serial 93
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was making a steep approach, with a tailwind, to a soybean field. He reported that he failed to arrest the rate of descent and the helicopter made a hard landing. The CFI stated that he '...got on the controls...' with the dual student at about 10 to 30 feet above the ground, but the aircraft continued to descend. The instructor stated that there was no mechanical malfunction and that both pilots were at the controls at the time of the accident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 378 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 321 as pilot in command; 125 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,926 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 13, 1994; 34 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: I74 Urbana OH
- Destination: PVT OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.