Bell 47G-2A accident near Moore Haven, Florida, September 23, 1994
On September 23, 1994 at about 12:35 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2A (helicopter), registered N30JJ, was destroyed in an accident near Moore Haven, Florida. 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 pilot-in-command's failure to maintain a visual lookout while maneuvering on a swath run, resulting in an in-flight collision with wires, and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1994 · about 12:35 pm local time
- Place
- Moore Haven, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2A · all 47G-2As on the register
- Registration
- N30JJ · no longer on the register · serial 2670
- 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 was making a swath run to the north over an orange grove. He was aware that powerlines paralled the swath run to the north, and additional powerlines crossed the end of the swath run from east to west. Upon reaching the end of the swath run, the helicopter collided with the wires separating the tailrotor from the helicopter. The helicopter spun to the right, collided with the terrain, and was destroyed by a postcrash fire.
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: 10,342 hours in all; 3,737 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,487 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1994; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from FMY, 22 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.
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.