Bell 47G-4A accident near Wasco, California, March 7, 2000
On March 7, 2000 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Bell 47G-4A (helicopter), registered N1354X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasco, California. 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 failure to use carburetor heat, which resulted in a loss of engine power. Factors included the ambient carburetor icing conditions and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2000 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Wasco, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4A · all 47G-4As on the register
- Registration
- N1354X · no longer on the register · serial 7537
- 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 landed the single-engine helicopter in a muddy field after experiencing a loss of engine power while climbing through 200 feet. The pilot reported hearing and feeling a bang, then a jolt to the left, followed by a loss of engine power. The pilot landed the helicopter in a field with furrows, which forced the tail up resulting in a tail strike. After the accident, the pilot reported to the operator that he may have experienced carburetor icing. An overhaul of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented the engine's operation. According to the FAA's Carburetor Icing Probability Chart with the reported temperature and dew point, the conditions existed for "Serious Icing at Cruise Power."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,900 hours in all; 7,200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 8,675 as pilot in command; 520 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 28, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,524 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 29, 2000; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,014 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-B1B3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Inland Crop Dusters, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: MIT Shafter CA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Wasco CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from BFL, 25 miles away
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.