Bell 47G-4A accident near Bakersfield, California, May 25, 2005
On May 25, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G-4A (helicopter), registered N110DT, was destroyed in an accident near Bakersfield, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from the power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4A · all 47G-4As on the register
- Registration
- N110DT · registry record · serial 7631
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter collided with power lines and crashed in a cotton field while conducting aerial application operations. The pilot completed his first pass from west to east across the north end of the potato field. As he came in for his second pass, the helicopter struck power lines that ran north and south along the west side of the potato field. The helicopter came down in an adjacent cotton field. The pilot said he saw the power lines just prior to striking them.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,531 hours in all; 120 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-B1B3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KMIT Shafter CA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from BFL, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N110DT 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.