Bell 47G-3B-1 accident near Canton, Mississippi, September 1, 2000
On September 1, 2000 at about 2:35 pm local time, a Bell 47G-3B-1 (helicopter), registered N53SP, was destroyed in an accident near Canton, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout which resulted in the helicopter colliding with power lines, catching fire, and being consumed by fire after landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 2000 · about 2:35 pm local time · cases in 2000
- Place
- Canton, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-1 · all 47G-3B-1s on the register
- Registration
- N53SP · registry record · serial 67-17111
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he had a wire strike which he believes led to an in-flight fire. He landed the helicopter upright and fire consumed the helicopter.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,412 hours in all; 1,210 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,792 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2000; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Valley Air, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from JAN, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N53SP 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
- N53SP 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 Mississippi 845 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Mississippi 2,603 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N53SP 2 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/MIA00LA257.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.