Bell 47G-3B1 accident near Union Church, Mississippi, September 26, 1995
On September 26, 1995, a Bell 47G-3B1 (helicopter), registered N92HA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Union Church, Mississippi. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate maintenance lubrication and inspection of the main rotor head which resulted in the separation of a rod end bearing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1995
- Place
- Union Church, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B1 · all 47G-3B1s on the register
- Registration
- N92HA · no longer on the register · serial 3696
- 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 lost cyclic control shortly after takeoff. When engine power was reduced during the forced landing the helicopter pitched up and rolled to the left and the main rotor blades contacted the ground. Postcrash examination showed a rod end bearing on the main rotor head that connects the stabilizer bar to the damper had separated. The rod end bearing was found to not contain a significant amount of grease and was excessively worn which allowed the monoball to separate from the housing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 151 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 16,450 as pilot in command; 467 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,191 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 1995; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,250 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ward Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from MCB, 35 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 N92HA 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.