Bell 47G3B1 accident near Sargeant, Minnesota, August 11, 1994
On August 11, 1994 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G3B1 (helicopter), registered N64292, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sargeant, 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 failure to maintain clearance from a transmission wire during an agricultural spray run. A factor in the accident is the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1994 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sargeant, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G3B1 · all 47G3B1s on the register
- Registration
- N64292 · no longer on the register · serial 3730
- 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 JUST COMPLETED AN AERIAL APPLICATION SPRAY RUN WITH THE HELICOPTER, AND WAS MANEUVERING TO START ANOTHER RUN. HE TURNED THE HELICOPTER TO MISS A GUY WIRE, AND IN THE PROCESS INADVERTENTLY ALLOWED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO STRIKE A TRANSMISSION WIRE. HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN PARTIAL CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER, AND MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A NEARBY FIELD.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,690 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 1994; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N64292 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.