Bell 47G accident near San Marcos, Texas, June 5, 2009
On June 5, 2009 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N8420E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near San Marcos, Texas (San Marcos Municipal Airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2009 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Marcos, Texas · San Marcos Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G 2 · all 47Gs on the register
- Registration
- N8420E · no longer on the register · serial 2558
- 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 commercial pilot said that he was landing the agricultural helicopter at the edge of a large field to pick up communications radios from his ground crew. During his landing approach under power lines, he saw a vehicle approaching that he had not seen before. The pilot said that he then raised the helicopter to allow the vehicle to pass underneath. The tail rotor blades then struck a wire at about 20 feet above the ground and the helicopter began to spin. The pilot said that he lost control and the helicopter struck the surface of the field and rolled on its side. There was no postcrash fire, but the helicopter was substantially damaged. The pilot was seriously injured.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › Tail rotor blade › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,435 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 16,435 as pilot in command; 504 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 29, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,045 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 2008; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO435 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Helicopter Services INC
The flight
- Departed from: KHYI San Marcos TX
- Destination: KHYI San Marcos TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KHYI, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.