Preliminary information
On September 5, 2026, at 1422 eastern daylight time, a Bell 47G-4A, N797WS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Alcoma, Florida. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that about 43 minutes after takeoff, he felt the helicopter momentarily yaw to the left twice. About 10 seconds later he heard a brief “metallic grinding noise,” which was followed by a loss of altitude, at which point the pilot performed a forced landing. The helicopter came to rest in trees resulting in substantial damage to the engine mounts, pitch change linkage, and tailboom.
The helicopter was recovered and retained for further examination.
Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA331 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 6, 2026
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Alcoma, Florida
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell 47G-4A
- N-number
- N797WS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1966
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
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.