Bell BHT-47-G3B1 accident near Buckhead Ridge, Florida, September 9, 1998
On September 9, 1998, a Bell BHT-47-G3B1 (helicopter), registered N73957, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buckhead Ridge, Florida. It was a public-use 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to adequately compensate for a tailwind condition on liftoff from the helipad.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1998
- Place
- Buckhead Ridge, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell BHT-47-G3B1 BHT-47-G3B
- Registration
- N73957 · no longer on the register · serial 2827
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the aerial application helicopter was lifting off the trailer mounted helipad, a gust of wind from behind caused the rotorcraft to lurch forward and snag the toe of the right skid under a toolbox. In the process of disengaging the skid, the pilot set down off-center and slipped off the helipad edge, causing substantial damage to the helicopter and minor damage to the helipad.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 804 hours in all; 93 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,630 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 1998; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 81°F (27°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 N73957 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.