Bell 47D1 accident near Jonesboro, Arkansas, May 25, 1982
On May 25, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N6851, was destroyed in an accident near Jonesboro, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 25, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jonesboro, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N6851 · no longer on the register · serial K876
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LOADING 40 GALLONS OF HERBICIDE ON THE AIRCRAFT THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LIFT OFF THE BACK OF THE LOADING TRUCK. THE TAKEOFF WAS NORMAL; HOWEVER, AS THE HELICOPTER CLEARED THE TRUCK, IT WAS NOT ABLE TO SUSTAIN A HOVER. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED A RUNNING LANDING IN THE ADJACENT WHEAT FIELD. DURING THE LANDING THE SPRAY BOOMS BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE WHEAT CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE DOWN AND OVER ON ITS BACK.
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; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 5,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Florida Flying Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Jonesboro AR at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Jonesboro AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 pm
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.