Bell 47G-4G accident near Lodi, California, September 28, 1983
On September 28, 1983, a Bell 47G-4G (helicopter), registered N7956S, was destroyed in an accident near Lodi, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1983
- Place
- Lodi, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-4G · all 47G-4Gs on the register
- Registration
- N7956S · no longer on the register · serial 7551
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, THE HELICOPTER LOST POWER AFTER CLIMBING APRX 20 FT. THE PLT MADE AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING, BUT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER SLID DOWN A RIVER BANK, ROLLED OVER & BEGAN BURNING. THE FUEL TANKS DID NOT RUPTURE & STILL CONTAINED FUEL. WHEN FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM EACH TANK, EACH SAMPLE CONTAINED WATER & CONSIDERABLE WATER WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 515 hours in all; 325 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 449 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,649 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 26, 1983; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-B1B3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:59 pm from SCK, 17 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.