Bell 47G-2 accident near Waymart, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1983
On April 30, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Bell 47G-2 (helicopter), registered N2829B, was destroyed in an accident near Waymart, Pennsylvania. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- April 30, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Waymart, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2 · all 47G-2s on the register
- Registration
- N2829B · no longer on the register · serial 1504
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS AN INTRODUCTORY INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER FLYING STRAIGHT & LEVEL PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE HELICOPTER HAD IMPACTED A 60-FT TREE AT ABOUT THE 40-FT LEVEL. NO PREIMPACT FAILURE/FALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE WAS FOUND.
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: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-435-23B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N3O Honesdale PA at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from AVP, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.