Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in the helicopter settling with power.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported he had flown the helicopter on several aerial application flights earlier in the day, and that the humidity had increased as the weather cleared. He stated that the initial takeoff was normal, but that when he was about 100 yards from the support truck, the rotor rpm began to decay, and the helicopter settled into a soybean field. The spray boom caught in the crop, and the helicopter pitched forward, which resulted in the main rotor blades contacting the ground. The aft section of the tail boom, including the tail rotor, separated from the helicopter. The pilot reported there was no mechanical malfunction/failure with the helicopter. He did report that he should have decreased his load due to the weather conditions.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08CA254 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Aug 14, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Kenyon, Minnesota
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell 47G-3B
- N-number
- N47AH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 137 (agricultural)
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial application
Other records under this N-number
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.