Bell 47G-2 accident near Watsonville, California, March 30, 1985
On March 30, 1985 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2 (helicopter), registered N4227B, was destroyed in an accident near Watsonville, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- March 30, 1985 · about 3:15 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
- N4227B · registry record · serial 155
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED HE INTENDED TO CLIMB OVER A PWR LINE AT THE END OF A SWATH RUN, HOWEVER, A TAILWIND GUST WAS ENCOUNTERED AND THE ACFT COULD NOT OBTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE LINE. THE PLT ELECTED TO FLY UNDER THE LINE UNAWARE OF A LOWER LINE WHICH EXISTED. THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED THE LINE, DESCENDED TO THE TERRAIN AND ROLLED OVER.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,862 hours in all; 6,228 in this make and model; 10,725 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1985; 444 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1O (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Helicair AG, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from MRY, 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.