Bell 47G accident near El Cajon, California, December 21, 1983
On December 21, 1983 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N4475, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Cajon, California (Gillespie Fld airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- December 21, 1983 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- El Cajon, California · Gillespie Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G · all 47Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4475 · no longer on the register · serial 5503
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A DEMONSTRATION TO SHOW HIS STUDENT HOW TO AUTOROTATE FM A 2 FT HEIGHT AGL THE INSTRUCTOR REDUCED PWR AND INADVERTENTLY APPLIED FWD CYCLIC. THE FRONT PORTION OF THE SKIDS HIT THE GD FOLLOWED BY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. HELICOPTER THEN ROCKED BACKWARDS, THE REAR PORTION OF THE SKIDS IMPACTED THE GD AND THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES SLICED THROUGH 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,811 hours in all; 411 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,591 as pilot in command; 1,325 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,124 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 10, 1983; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V4-200-C32 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from SEE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.