Bell 47G-3B accident near Kenyon, Minnesota, August 14, 2008
On August 14, 2008 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Bell 47G-3B (helicopter), registered N47AH, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Kenyon, Minnesota. 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
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in the helicopter settling with power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2008 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kenyon, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B · all 47G-3Bs on the register
- Registration
- N47AH · registry record · serial 2645
- 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 pilot reported he had flown the helicopter on several aerial application flights earlier in the day, and that the humidity had increased as the weather cleared. He stated that the initial takeoff was normal, but that when he was about 100 yards from the support truck, the rotor rpm began to decay, and the helicopter settled into a soybean field. The spray boom caught in the crop, and the helicopter pitched forward, which resulted in the main rotor blades contacting the ground. The aft section of the tail boom, including the tail rotor, separated from the helicopter. The pilot reported there was no mechanical malfunction/failure with the helicopter. He did report that he should have decreased his load due to the weather conditions.
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
- Settling with power/vortex ring state during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Performance calculations › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,900 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 184 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 12,665 as pilot in command; 778 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 435A/F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kenyon MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from FBL
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.
Other NTSB records under N47AH 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.