Bell 47-G5 accident near Lost Hills, California, July 23, 1996
On July 23, 1996 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bell 47-G5 (helicopter), registered N7885S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lost Hills, 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
improper installation of the carburetor air box.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1996 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lost Hills, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47-G5 · all 47-G5s on the register
- Registration
- N7885S · registry record · serial 7873
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed to take on enough fuel to ferry the helicopter back to the home base. After liftoff at 100 to 150 feet agl he lost all engine power. A postaccident examination revealed that the carburetor air box had been installed with the wrong gasket and mispositioned so that one of four attachment bolts was missing. The gasket was partially ingested into the carburetor throat along with a foreign material determined to be a dusting product that coated the carburetor throat area through the gasket void.
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: 2,500 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,757 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1996; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Lost Hills CA at 5:40 pm
- Destination: Shafter CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from KBF
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 N7885S 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.