Bell 47G accident near Belen, New Mexico, January 11, 2019
On January 11, 2019 at about 9:40 pm local time, a 1955 Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N3755Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Belen, New Mexico. It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor speed while the helicopter was in an out-of-ground effect hover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2019 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Belen, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G 2, built 1955 · all 47Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3755Z · no longer on the register · serial 1698
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a personal flight when he decided to bring the helicopter into an out-of-ground effect hover about 50 ft above the ground. The pilot stated that he "got complacent about maintaining main rotor speed" while in the hover and observed an unsafe main rotor speed. He lowered collective for an immediate landing and engaged the carburetor heat. He attempted to reduce the helicopter's descent rate before impact by increasing the collective control, but the helicopter landed hard on the soft terrain. The main rotor blades subsequently impacted the tailboom and tail rotor. The pilot reported that, after impact, the engine continued to run at about 1,500 rpm. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot postulated that an insufficient main rotor speed had precluded him from making a normal flare and landing. He stated that the engine might have encountered carburetor icing as he maneuvered the helicopter into the out-of-ground effect hover at a decreased engine power setting, which might have contributed to his failure to maintain adequate main rotor speed while hovering. Regardless of if the helicopter had a partial loss of engine power during the out-of-ground effect hover, which the investigation was unable to determine, the pilot should have been able to maintain proper main rotor speed by lowering collective and discontinuing the hover maneuver before the main rotor decreased to an unsafe speed.
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 maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,163.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 1980
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 836 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BRG Belen NM at 9:00 pm
- Destination: BRG Belen NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from BRG, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation - Ernest Brown | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N3755Z 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.