Bell 47D1 accident near Ruleville, Mississippi, July 4, 1988
On July 4, 1988 at about 1:15 am local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N903B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ruleville, Mississippi. 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
- July 4, 1988 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Ruleville, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N903B · registry record · serial 847
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLT WHILE SPRAYING CHEMICALS THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN AUTOROTATION BUT WAS TOO LOW AND SLOW TO COMPLETE IT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD IN THE FIELD OF CROPS AND NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AFTER THE ACCIDENT DID NOT REVEAL ANY REASON FOR THE POWER LOSS.
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: 11,442 hours in all; 163 in this make and model; 472 in the last 90 days; 188 in the last 30 days; 11,355 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,566 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1987; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Agri Flex, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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 N903B 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.