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NYC06CA173

2006-07-04 · Petersburg, West Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport W99

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The passenger's inadvertent interference with the flight controls, which resulted in a loss of directional control and subsequent impact with the ground.

Factual narrative

As the Bell 47G-2 climbed to about 15-20 feet during a hover, the pilot felt that "something was pushing the helicopter." Shortly thereafter, the helicopter began to descend and the rotor RPM began to decrease. The pilot initiated a precautionary landing, during which the passenger inadvertently pushed on the rudder pedals. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, and the helicopter rolled onto its side as it touched down. As the helicopter climbed to about 15-20 feet during a hover, the pilot felt that "something was pushing the helicopter." Shortly thereafter, the helicopter began to descend and the rotor RPM began to decrease. The pilot initiated a precautionary landing, during which the passenger inadvertently pushed on the rudder pedals. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, and the helicopter rolled onto its side as it touched down. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2006_NYC06CA173.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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