Bell 47G-2A accident near Hudsonville, Michigan, June 16, 1982
On June 16, 1982 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2A (helicopter), registered N364W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hudsonville, Michigan. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1982 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hudsonville, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2A · all 47G-2As on the register
- Registration
- N364W · no longer on the register · serial 103DB
- 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 WAS FLYING A SWATH RUN THAT REQUIRED HIM TO FLY UNDER ELECTRIC WIRES NEAR A BLACKTOP COUNTY ROAD. AS THE PILOT WAS COMING OFF THE FIELD AND PASSING UNDER THE WIRES, HE REALIZED HE WAS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH A CAR. HE PULLED UP TO AVOID THE CAR AND STRUCK THE WIRES. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD SEENED THE CAR BEFORE CROSSING UNDER THE WIRES. HE THOUGHT THE DRIVER OF THE CAR HAD SLOWED TO ALLOW THE HELICOPTER TO PROCEED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,102 hours in all; 5,649 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 5,892 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-435 (type not recorded); 0 hours total
- Operator: Byron AG Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Hudsonville MI
- Destination: Hudsonville MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 158°F (70°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.