Event LAX97LA006

Factual narrative

On October 7, 1996, at 1140 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47G-5A, N8135J, crashed into a field near King City, California, during an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot was not injured. The flight originated from King City about 0700. According to the pilot, he refilled his restricted category helicopter with 80 gallons of defoliant and proceeded to take off from a farm field adjacent to a country road. He had made two previous departures from the same location and was aware of nearby power lines. During the climb over the power lines, the pilot allowed the engine, rotor rpm, and the airspeed to decrease. The pilot further indicated that he attempted to regain airspeed and rpm by lowering the nose of the helicopter. His efforts were not successful, and the helicopter made a hard touchdown in the field. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction or failure occurred during the accident flight. According to the pilot, he refilled his restricted category helicopter with 80 gallons of defoliant and proceeded to take off from a farm field adjacent to a country road. He had made two previous departures from the same location and was aware of nearby power lines. During the climb over the power lines, the pilot allowed the engine, rotor rpm, and airspeed to decrease. The pilot further indicated that he attempted to regain airspeed and rpm by lowering the nose of the helicopter. His efforts were not successful, and the helicopter made a hard touchdown in the field. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12