Bell 47G 3B 1 accident near Fort Pierre, South Dakota, May 28, 2015
On May 28, 2015 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1966 Bell 47G 3B 1 (helicopter), registered N112SH, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Fort Pierre, South Dakota. 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 pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning that resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during the subsequent autorotation landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2015 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierre, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G 3B 1, built 1966 · all 47G 3B 1s on the register
- Registration
- N112SH · registry record · serial 6567
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight the helicopter's engine had a total loss of power and he made an emergency landing in a wheat field. He said the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom and sheared off the tail rotor during the landing. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported using a placard as a reference for a fuel tank sight gauge. A postaccident examination by an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector revealed approximately three and one-half gallons of fuel in the right fuel tank and approximately one and one-half gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank. This make and model of helicopter has a capacity of 61 gallons of fuel of which 57.5 gallons of fuel is useable and three and one-half gallons of fuel are unusable. The fuel lines to the engine are located in the rear of the fuel tanks. A pitch attitude change such as a banking turn or nose down attitude, could have caused a disruption in fuel flow to the engine with the low fuel levels that were found in the fuel tanks.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Autorotation Miscellaneous/other defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 12, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,343 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 21, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18 (turboshaft); 3,558 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Fort Pierre SD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KPIR, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 7, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 – Tail Boom (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 – Left Fuel Tank (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 3 – Right Fuel Tank (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 4 – Fuel Placard (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.