Bell 47G accident near Chatsworth, California, December 22, 1984
On December 22, 1984, a Bell 47G (helicopter), registered N182JR, was destroyed in an accident near Chatsworth, California (Van Nuys 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 22, 1984
- Place
- Chatsworth, California · Van Nuys · 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
- N182JR · registry record · serial 22
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING OFF AIRPORT TOUCH & GO'S. ON THE SECOND LNDG THE LEFT SKID CONTACTED A HIDDEN DIRT EMBANKMENT ANDTHE ACFT ROLLED OVER. A POST IMPACT FIRE CONSUMED THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PLTS ABOARD THE HELICOPTER ESCAPED UNHARMED. THE LANDING AREA CONTAINED HIGH VEGETATION.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 640 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,410 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 5, 1984; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin 6VS-335A-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N182JR 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.