Bell 47 MARK-6 accident near Lake City, Minnesota, August 26, 1994
On August 26, 1994 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Bell 47 MARK-6 (helicopter), registered N19JM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake City, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF LIFT RESULTING FROM THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION TURN. THE POWER AVAILABLE FROM THE ENGINE WAS LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO REGAIN THE LOST ROTOR RPM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1994 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47 MARK-6 · all 47 MARK-6s on the register
- Registration
- N19JM · registry record · serial 1921
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE PERFORMING A LOW LEVEL AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION TURN, THE PILOT REPORTED COMPLETING HIS TURN AND HAVING A LOWER THAN NORMAL ROTOR RPM. THE TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND THE HUMIDITY WAS REPORTED BY THE PILOT AS HIGH. DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2000 FEET. ATTEMPTING TO REGAIN RPM AND LEVEL OFF WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL, AND THE HELICOPTER SPRAY BOOMS CONTACTED THE CORN CROP. THE HELICOPTER STOPPED AND OVERTURNED.
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: 5,796 hours in all; 4,600 in this make and model; 5,766 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,852 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1993; 170 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming V0-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northland Helicopter INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from RST, 30 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.
Other NTSB records under N19JM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI94LA300.