Bell 47G2 accident near Helendale, California, December 12, 1998
On December 12, 1998, a Bell 47G2 (helicopter), registered N9021R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Helendale, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow proper procedures to recover from main rotor blade aerodynamic retreating blade stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 1998
- Place
- Helendale, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G2 · all 47G2s on the register
- Registration
- N9021R · registry record · serial CCI-165
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot encountered retreating blade stall while flying at 100 mph. He reported that the helicopter began to shake and it felt like an 'out of balance feeling, like when the washing machine gets unbalanced.' The rotor rpm began to decay. When he reduced power and stabilized the airspeed to about 60 to 65 mph, the shaking stopped. The pilot stated that he was not able to maintain lift, so he entered an autorotation over the hilly terrain. The tail rotor blades impacted an embankment and the main rotor blades severed the tail boom. The pilot's manual for the Bell 47G2 indicates that the 'never-exceed speed' (Vne) for the helicopter is 100 mph. According to the FAA's Basic Helicopter Handbook, the recovery procedure for retreating blade stall is to reduce the collective pitch, increase rotor rpm, reduce forward airspeed, and minimize maneuvering.
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: student
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,898 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kramer'S Jct CA
- Destination: Helendale CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N9021R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX99LA047.