Bell 47G-5 accident near Mifflinville, Pennsylvania, August 12, 2023
On August 12, 2023 at about 1:50 pm local time, a 1971 Bell 47G-5 (helicopter), registered N1503L, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Mifflinville, Pennsylvania. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2023 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mifflinville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-5, built 1971 · all 47G-5s on the register
- Registration
- N1503L · registry record · serial 25042
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the aerial application helicopter departed from a chemical truck staging area to a nearby corn field, where he was performing his eighth application flight of the day. There were no witnesses to the accident and the pilot was fatally injured. The accident site was located near the edge of the cornfield, which was bordered by a road, trees, and a powerline. The helicopter’s spray boom and one landing gear skid were separated from the fuselage and found in a tree entangled with the power lines. The helicopter’s fuselage, engine, and fuel tanks were consumed by a postimpact fire. Given this information, it is most likely that the helicopter impacted the powerline while maneuvering at low level above the corn field. The pilot had received training about 13 years before the accident to act as pilot-in-command of aerial application operations. The training program included a skills test to demonstrate safe low-level maneuvering and how to approach the working area to locate obstacles. The extent to which the pilot had conducted a preflight assessment of the corn field for obstacles and was aware of the location of the wires could not be determined. A postaccident autopsy of the pilot’s remains identified cardiovascular disease that would have increased his risk of experiencing a sudden impairing or incapacitating cardiac event, such as arrhythmia, chest pain, or heart attack. The autopsy did not provide specific evidence that such an event occurred; however, such an event would also not leave evidence readily identifiable by an autopsy if it occurred shortly before death. Therefore, whether the pilot was incapacitated to some degree by a cardiac event that preceded the wire strike could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,325 hours in all; 490 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 26, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,036 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 14, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-B1A (piston); 6,221 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Triple F Flying INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 am from AVP, 32 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAVP 121354Z 00000KT 9SM OVC100 21/17 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP123 T02060167
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA23LA332.