Bell 47G accident near Lehighton, Pennsylvania, March 28, 2003
On March 28, 2003 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N17114, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lehighton, Pennsylvania (Jake Arner Memorial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing, and his continued flight operations with a known discrepancy.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2003 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lehighton, Pennsylvania · Jake Arner Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G · all 47Gs on the register
- Registration
- N17114 · no longer on the register · serial 1227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a solo flight, the student pilot/owner made a hard landing. He then wanted to practice full autorotations with his flight instructor, but the instructor refused because he was concerned that the hard landing may have caused damage to one of the skids. The student pilot then decided to practice running takeoffs and landings on his own, during which, one of the skids completely broke, and a main rotor blade severed the tailboom.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 22N Lehighton PA
- Destination: Lehighton
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°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.
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.