Bell 47G-4A accident near Sheridan, Arkansas, May 30, 2006
On May 30, 2006 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Bell 47G-4A (helicopter), registered N4086C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sheridan, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2006 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Sheridan, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4A · all 47G-4As on the register
- Registration
- N4086C · no longer on the register · serial 7727
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 15,000-hour commercial pilot reported in a telephone interview that he departed a timber tract with 15 gallons of fuel on-board en route to another tract located about 13 miles away. When the turbine-powered helicopter was approximately three miles short of his destination, while at an altitude of 600 feet above ground level (AGL), the engine lost power. The pilot entered an autorotation for a forced landing to an open field. Examination of the aerial application helicopter at the accident site revealed that no fuel was found in the fuel nozzle and less than three gallons of fuel was found in the fuel tanks. The turbine engine was removed from the helicopter and shipped to the factory for a detailed examination and test run. A written statement provided by the supervising FAA inspector, who witnessed the engine examination and test run, stated that the engine started and ran for an hour and twenty minutes with no discrepancies noted.
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: 15,000 hours in all; 1,900 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sheridan AR at 10:20 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°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.
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.