Bell OH-58A N902SF
30 January 2008 · Brawley, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 January 2008 at about 04:45 local time, a Bell OH-58A registered N902SF, operated by Farm Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Brawley, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Brawley, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Brawley Muni (BWC)
- Coordinates
- 33.0361, -115.5194
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A
- Registration
- N902SF
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Farm Aviation Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Brawley → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- LAX08CA054
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles. A factor in the accident was the dark night conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was spraying fields at night. He had just completed spraying a field and was climbing out to move to a second field when the helicopter collided with unmarked high tension electrical wires. He felt the impact and was momentarily blinded by the bright electrical flash. The pilot reported that the helicopter was out of control and after about 2 or 3 seconds, the helicopter impacted the ground. After impact, he unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the helicopter. He reported that the engine was still running and he continued to experience some blindness. The pilot walked a few steps away from the helicopter before his regained his vision. He looked back at the helicopter to make sure there was no fire, and then went back to it, and shut it down. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter. The pilot said he had been spraying in this area for years and was aware of the general location of the power lines in the area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell OH-58A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct 2009 | Bell OH-58A | Ocala, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 2009 | Bell OH-58A | Arvin, California, United States | San Joaquin Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2010 | Bell OH-58A | Covington, Tennessee, United States | B & S Air Inc | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2010 | Bell OH-58A | Taylorsville, Mississippi, United States | Cahaba Forestry Services | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Jul 2010 | Bell OH-58A | Roswell, New Mexico, United States | North Star Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2011 | Bell OH-58A | Ft. Pierce, Florida, United States | St Lucie Cnty Sheriffs Office | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172S | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | Pacific Aerocademy | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Cessna TU206G | Groveland, California, United States | Charles D Hartwell | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Piper PA 28-180 | Sonoma, California, United States | Timothy Bennett | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Redding, California, United States | Kenneth A Tyler | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Kaman K-1200 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Superior Leasing LLC | Fatal | - |
| 26 Jul 2008 | Ercoupe 415-C | Corona, California, United States | Herbert Guiness | No injuries | - |