Bell 47G-II accident near Rialto, California, December 2, 1989
On December 2, 1989 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Bell 47G-II (helicopter), registered N2899B, was destroyed in an accident near Rialto, California (Rialto airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT OVERCONTROL WHILE HOVERING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S INEXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 1989 · about 4:45 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Rialto, California · Rialto · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-II · all 47G-IIs on the register
- Registration
- N2899B · registry record · serial 1999
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WHILE PRACTICING HOVERS NEAR THE GROUND. WINDS WERE 10 KTS GUSTING 20. THE PILOT STATED SHE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE DURING A HOVER TURN AND OVERCONTROLLED. THE TAIL BOOM STRUCK THE GROUND, THE CANOPY DISINTEGRATED, AND THE HELICOPTER ENDED UP ON ITS SIDE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 188 hours in all; 80 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N2899B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2899B on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bell 47 478 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bell 3,080 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2899B 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX90LA042.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.