# N497E: Bell OH-58A

- Status: Valid registration
- Airframe: [Bell OH-58A](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-oh-58a) (registry code 1181579, 4 seats)
- Serial number: 69-16375
- Type: Rotorcraft
- Engine type: Turbo-shaft
- Certificate issued: July 24, 1997
- Expires: October 31, 2027
- Mode S code: A62A7D
- Registered owner: [Kern County Sheriffs Department](https://openairdocs.org/faa-owner/KERN%20COUNTY%20SHERIFFS%20DEPARTMENT)
- Location: [Bakersfield, CA](https://openairdocs.org/faa-place/CA/Bakersfield)
- Owner type: Government
- Owner's area on the map: 35.5542° N, 118.9435° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at the center of ZIP code 93308, within about 11 miles (OpenAirDocs). The owner's mailing address, not where the aircraft is based
- FAA registry: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=497E
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N497E

From the FAA registry file of October 24, 2026. ADs below are matched by the registry's airframe and engine model codes. They may apply; each AD's applicability can narrow it by serial number, part number or installed equipment. This is not a compliance determination.

## ADs that may apply (OpenAirDocs): 0 in force

### Matched by airframe (Bell OH-58A)

None in force.

## Information bulletins (advisory)

None matched.

## NTSB investigations (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR14TA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14TA149), Mar 27, 2014: Bell OH-58A (N497E), Tehachapi, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to attempt a mission at night with known en route weather conditions below operating minimums, likely due to self-induced pressure, and then continue flight beyond the alternate…

## FAA accident and incident reports (1)

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [Accident 20140327003999A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140327003999A), Mar 27, 2014: Bell OH-58A (N497E), Tehachapi, CA, Substantial damage. On 03/27/2014, at 0135 local, N497E was dispatched on a medivac flight from bakersfield, CA, to lancaster, CA, by the kern county sheriff's department. While…

## Service difficulty reports

None filed for this aircraft. Matched to this aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model.

## STCs that may be installed (OpenAirDocs)

None matched to this aircraft's models.

## Related

- Other Bell OH-58A aircraft: https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-oh-58a/aircraft.md

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