Bell 47G-5 accident near Pickett, Wisconsin, August 7, 1985
On August 7, 1985 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Bell 47G-5 (helicopter), registered N1476W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pickett, Wisconsin. 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
- August 7, 1985 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pickett, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-5 · all 47G-5s on the register
- Registration
- N1476W · no longer on the register · serial 7946
- 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 FLD WHERE THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED HAD BEEN SPRAYED ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT BY A FIXED-WING ACFT AT AN ALT OF 20 FT. NO WIRES WERE NOTED TO BE A HAZARD AT THAT TIME. ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT THE PLT OF THE HELICOPTER WAS TALKING TO A SPOTTER ON THE GROUND VIA RADIO. NEITHER PERSON NOTICED THE POWER LINES CROSSING ONE END OF A SMALL SECTION OF THE CORN FLD. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE WIRES ON HIS FIRST PASS. THEY BECAME ENTANGLED IN HIS ROTOR CONTROL RODS AND THE MACHINE SETTLED TO THE GROUND. THE PLT STATED THAT THE REASON NEITHER HE NOR HIS SPOTTER SAW THE WIRES WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE STRUNG IN A NON-STANDARD MANNER IN THAT THE NON-SUPPORTED SPAN OF WIRE WAS EXCESSIVE. THE WIRES DROOPED TO 7 FT ABOVE THE CORN. ALSO THERE WERE NO GUY WIRES OR TRANSFORMERS ON THE POLES TO INDICATE A POWER LINE ARRAY. THIS PLT HAS OVER 5600 HOURS OF AERIAL APPLICATION FLYING TIME IN HIS LOGBOOK.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 2, 1985; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RLA Ripon WI at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°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.