Bell 47J-2 accident near Canon City, Colorado, July 30, 1987
On July 30, 1987 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Bell 47J-2 (helicopter), registered N73265, was substantially damaged in an accident near Canon City, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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
- July 30, 1987 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Canon City, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47J-2 · all 47J-2s on the register
- Registration
- N73265 · no longer on the register · serial 1869
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ATP PLT WAS FLYING SIGHTSEEING RIDES. THERE WERE TWO ADULTS AND TWO CHILDREN IN THE FOUR PASSENGER HELICOPTER. DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS 10000 FEET. THE ACFT LOST PWR AND THE PLT ABORTED TAKEOFF AND LANDED. AFTER AN ENG RUNUP THE PLT TOOK OFF AGAIN AND THE HELICOPTER WAS BROUGHT TO A HOVER TO RETURN TO THE LOADING AREA. WHILE TURNING, THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK A FENCE AND WAS SEVERED. THE HELICOPTER MADE AN UNCOMMANDED RIGHT TURN AND THE PLT EXECUTED A HOVERING AUTOROTATION. A POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT A PLUG WAS MISSING FROM THE INTAKE MANIFOLD.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,149 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 9,941 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,321 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 1986; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.