Bell 47G3B2A accident near Pendleton, Oregon, June 10, 1999
On June 10, 1999 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G3B2A (helicopter), registered N24MP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pendleton, Oregon. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
A fouled external load cable, and the pilot's operation of the helicopter with a non-approved external bucket installation, resulting in misrouted hydraulic lines and consequent malfunction of the external load release system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1999 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pendleton, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G3B2A · all 47G3B2As on the register
- Registration
- N24MP · registry record · serial 6836
- 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 helicopter was applying dry fertilizer from an external bucket. While taking off after refilling the bucket, the external load cable became entangled in the auger of the fertilizer truck. The pilot reported he then attempted to release the load, but the quick-disconnect hydraulic lines would not release. In the process of attempting to get the helicopter to the ground, the helicopter suffered a blade strike and impacted the ground. The pilot reported the hydraulic lines were routed over the skid or cross tube, as opposed to down the release hook and cable. The hydraulic lines were approved for a spray system installation installed per FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on the helicopter in 1993; however, the operator furnished no substantiation of FAA approval of the external bucket installation, and no record of FAA approval of the bucket installation on the helicopter was on file with the FAA.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming V0-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pendleton OR
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.