Bell 47D-1 accident near Harrisburg, Arkansas, May 20, 1982
On May 20, 1982 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Bell 47D-1 (helicopter), registered N93067, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrisburg, Arkansas. 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 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
- May 20, 1982 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisburg, Arkansas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D-1 · all 47D-1s on the register
- Registration
- N93067 · registry record · serial 5501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AGRICULTURAL SPRAYING OPERATION THE PILOT TURNED DOWNWIND AND THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK A RICE DIKE. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD. THE MAIN ROTOR SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN LOADED WITHIN 100 POUNDS OF THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT.
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: 938 hours in all; 635 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 876 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,375 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Harrisburg AR at 8:00 am
- Destination: Harrisburg AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 31.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N93067 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.