Bell 47D1 accident near Russell, Massachusetts, December 2, 1988
On December 2, 1988 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N163B, was destroyed in an accident near Russell, Massachusetts (Unknown airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A PILOT INDUCED LOW ROTOR RPM CONDITION, FOLLOWED BY BLADE FLAPPING AS THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACTED THE TAIL OF THE HELICOPTER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 1988 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Russell, Massachusetts · Unknown
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N163B · no longer on the register · serial 17
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BELL 47D1 WAS ON A SOLO X-COUNTRY FLIGHT WITH A COMMERCIAL RATED (NON-ROTORCRAFT RATED) PILOT WHO WAS WORKING ON HIS ROTORCRAFT RATING. THE HELICOPTER CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA WITH DEBRIS SPREAD ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH FOR OVER 1/4 MILE. POST CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED THAT ONE STABILIZER BAR WAS MISSING FROM THE ROTOR HEAD AND HAD FAILED OPPOSITE THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION. THE STABILIZER BAR WAS NOT RECOVERED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF BLADE FLAPPING AND LOW ROTOR RPM CONDITIONS. NO EVIDENCE OF A FAILURE ON THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM, OTHER THAN THE MISSING STABILIZER CONTROL BAR WAS FOUND. NO EVIDENCE OF A ENGINE FAILURE WAS NOTED, ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT FOR THE FORMATION OF CARBURETOR ICE.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,218 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 18, 1988; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAF Westfield MA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: GBR Grt. Barrington MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from BAF, 8 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.