Bell 47D1 accident near Meadville, Pennsylvania, June 22, 1990
On June 22, 1990 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Bell 47D1 (helicopter), registered N310A, was destroyed in an accident near Meadville, Pennsylvania. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SEE AND AVOID THE POWER LINES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1990 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Meadville, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D1 · all 47D1s on the register
- Registration
- N310A · registry record · serial 82
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING TO REPLENISH THE SPRAY SYSTEM, THE PILOT OF THE AERIAL APPLICATION HELICOPTER DEPARTED TO SPRAY ANOTHER FIELD. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM THE STAGING AREA THE HELICOPTER STRUCK POWER LINES, AND FELL TO THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION REVEALED CONTROL CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM, AND NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION/DIFFICULTY. THE OWNER OF THE FARM BEING SPRAYED STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN SPRAYING HIS FIELDS FOR TWENTY YEARS AND SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE LOCATION OF THE POWER LINES STRUNG ACROSS THE FIELD.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,030 hours in all; 10,025 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 15,980 as pilot in command; 127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,038 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 1990; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V4-178-B32 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm from NOA, 18 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.