Bell 47G-4 accident near Lakeville, Minnesota, June 26, 1985
On June 26, 1985 at about 6:57 pm local time, a Bell 47G-4 (helicopter), registered N3094G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakeville, Minnesota (Airlake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 26, 1985 · about 6:57 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeville, Minnesota · Airlake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4 · all 47G-4s on the register
- Registration
- N3094G · registry record · serial 3361
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING LANDED ON A TRAILER FOR TRANSPORTATION. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE RIGHT SKID HOOKED ON THE LANDING GUIDES AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE RIGHT SIDE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE GROUND, THE LEFT FUEL TANK RUPTURED AND AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE ENSUED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,853 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 1,725 as pilot in command; 806 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,487 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 1985; 114 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-B1B3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; not recorded at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MSP, 150 miles away
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.