Bell OH 58A N206WH
24 September 2018 · Juana Diaz, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 24 September 2018 at about 21:30 local time, a Bell OH 58A registered N206WH was involved in an accident near Juana Diaz, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. 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 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Juana Diaz, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mercedita (JPS)
- Coordinates
- 18.2205, -66.5899
- Aircraft
- Bell OH 58A
- Registration
- N206WH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1972
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ponce → Ponce
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA18LA271
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 1 month before the accident flight, the helicopter, which had not been flown in about 7 years, was fueled with about 40 gallons of fuel, of which 3 gallons were drained to remove potential contamination. The helicopter was flown 1.8 hours between the fueling and the accident flight. There was no record of additional fuel being added between those flights and the accident flight. About 15 minutes after departing on the accident flight, between 500 and 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), the engine lost total power. The pilot performed an autorotation and landed on level, soft terrain, the helicopter tipped forward onto the nose, and the pilot applied aft cyclic to correct. The main rotor blades impacted the tailboom, severing it from the helicopter, and the main rotor transmission and rotor head separated from the mount. The helicopter was not recovered and could not be examined after the accident. The amount of fuel onboard at the time of departure could not be determined. Based on the available information, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell OH-58A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 2018 | Bell OH 58A | Carson City, Nevada, United States | Washoe County Sheriffs Office | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2018 | Bell OH 58A | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | North Carolina State Highway Patrol | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2019 | Bell OH 58A | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, United States | St Johns County Sheriffs Office | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 2019 | Bell OH 58A | Fort Meade, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 2019 | Bell OH 58A | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | Omaha Police Department | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2020 | Bell OH 58A | Colexico, California, United States | A Farmer Service Corp | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 2018 | Aero Commander 680 F | Lapine, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 2018 | Sasser Allen L SEAREY | Welaka, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 2018 | North American SNJ 2 | Melville, New York, United States | Snj-2 Corp | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Jul 2018 | Cessna 182 | Lincoln, Illinois, United States | KILO Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2018 | Cessna A185F | Kaktovik, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2018 | Zenair CH 2000 | Topeka, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |