Bell 47G-3B-1 accident near Avondale, Colorado, September 12, 2007
On September 12, 2007 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 (helicopter), registered N360SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avondale, Colorado. 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 attain translational lift and his improper flare. A contributing factor in this accident was the sudden wind shift.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2007 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Avondale, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-1 · all 47G-3B-1s on the register
- Registration
- N360SS · registry record · serial 3696
- 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 took off downhill with no wind. The wind shifted to the west to a tailwind of 10 to 12 knots. The pilot said he was "unable to gain effective translational lift" and he attempted to land with a forward speed of 5 to 6 mph. He attempted to stop the helicopter but in doing so, "the tail skid struck the ground at the same time the skids did. Then the aircraft lurched forward, causing the main rotor to come in contact with the tail boom." The tail boom was severed and the skids were broken torsionally from the airframe.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,532 hours in all; 1,768 in this make and model; 353 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,396 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2007; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Avondale CO at 1:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Avondale CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.