Bell 47G-2 accident near Watsonville, California, January 23, 1982
On January 23, 1982 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2 (helicopter), registered N10194, was substantially damaged in an accident near Watsonville, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 1982 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Watsonville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2 · all 47G-2s on the register
- Registration
- N10194 · registry record · serial 1056
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PRECEDING SPRAY OPERATION, THE PILOT NOTED THAT SOME OF THE SPRAY NOZZLES WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. HE FLUSHED THE TANKS WITH FRESH WATER AND PARTIALLY REFILLED THEM WITH WATER TO PERFORM AN AIRBORNE NOZZLE CHECK. WHILE PERFORMING THE CHECK AT ABOUT 30 FT AGL, HE BECAME ENGROSSED IN VISUALLY CHECKING THE BOOM NOZZLES. HE DID NOT NOTICE A TELEPHONE LINE IN HIS FLIGHT PATH UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE TO AVOID STRIKING IT. AFTER SEVERING THE LINE, THE PILOT MADE AN IMMEDIATE LANDING IN A MUDDY FIELD. WHILE LANDING IN A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE, THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE GROUND WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,695 hours in all; 4,640 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 15,543 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,080 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Watsonville CA at 2:50 pm
- Destination: Watsonville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 124°F (51°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N10194 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX82DA051.