Bell 47G-3B-1 accident near Crossett, Arkansas, July 13, 1997
On July 13, 1997 at about 10:50 am local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 (helicopter), registered N83701, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crossett, Arkansas. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of maintenance personnel to perform an adequate inspection of the fuselage center frame and detect a fatigue fracture of a longeron tube on the upper left side of the center frame, which resulted in a disconnect of the tail rotor drive shaft from the transmission, loss of yaw (anti-torque) control, and a subsequent hard (emergency) landing. A related factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1997 · about 10:50 am local time
- Place
- Crossett, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-1 · all 47G-3B-1s on the register
- Registration
- N83701 · no longer on the register · serial 3835
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot (plt) said that during flight, he 'heard and felt flutter in the tail rotor.' He began an emergency descent, & about 25' above power lines, the helicopter (hel) began yawing (spinning) to the right. After 7 to 9 'revolutions,' the plt 'pulled pitch' to cushion impact. The hel landed hard in a ditch & was damaged (fuselage was bent & tail boom was twisted). An exam revealed the forward portion of the tail rotor drive shaft was disconnected from the transmission. The disconnect was due to an increase in distance between the forward & aft female couplings of the shaft. The increased distance was due to a fractured longeron tube on the upper left side of the fuselage center frame. The tube extended aft from airframe station -2.0 (where the left side engine Lord mount was bolted to the center frame) to the tube cluster at station -50.99. The fracture was not readily visible due to the tube's location behind a crop-spraying tank. Further exam revealed the crack was due to fatigue that originated at the toe of a weld for a gusset. Heavy corrosion & pitting on the fracture surface suggested the crack had been developing for some time. Records showed the center frame was manufactured as part of the hel; the hel was originally delivered as a U.S. Army TH-13T on 10/31/68.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,530 hours in all; 5,258 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,175 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 1996; 122 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°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.
Other NTSB records under N83701 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.