19990517005339A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Bell OH-58A · Poplar Bluff, MO · May 17, 1999

Date: May 17, 1999 · 16:00 local
Place: Poplar Bluff, MO
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N77MP
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI99GA155
Reported as: Bell OH58A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2

N77MPRegistration cancelled May 1, 2000 · Bell OH-58AS/N 72-21187 Airframe modelBell OH-58A

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Missouri state highway patrol Bell OH-58A public use helicopter was reportedly being used for a charity function when it crashed under unknown circumstances, the pilot and the photographer on board suffered fatal injuries, the acft was destroyed. (-23)while returning to airport base of operations (pof), witnesses describe helicopter at low altitude and cruise airspeed prior to accident. Just prior to impact witnesses indiacted tail rotor had stopped turning and was descending vertically quite rapidly with main rotor barely turning if at all. Aircraft came to rest in an upright profile sustaining severe damage to undercarriage, main rotor blades & transmission, engine, tailboom and tail rotor drive shaft areas. Initial aircraft investigation revealed severed tail rotor drive shaft located on tail boom and the appearance of insufficient main rotor energy to cushion landing prior to touchdown.

As the FAA filed it

MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL BELL OH-58A PUBLIC USE HELICOPTER WAS REPORTEDLY BEING USED FOR A CHARITY FUNCTION WHEN IT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE PILOT AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER ON BOARD SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (-23)WHILE RETURNING TO AIRPORT BASE OF OPERATIONS (POF), WITNESSES DESCRIBE HELICOPTER AT LOW ALTITUDE AND CRUISE AIRSPEED PRIOR TO ACCIDENT. JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT WITNESSES INDIACTED TAIL ROTOR HAD STOPPED TURNING AND WAS DESCENDING VERTICALLY QUITE RAPIDLY WITH MAIN ROTOR BARELY TURNING IF AT ALL. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT PROFILE SUSTAINING SEVERE DAMAGE TO UNDERCARRIAGE, MAIN ROTOR BLADES & TRANSMISSION, ENGINE, TAILBOOM AND TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AREAS. INITIAL AIRCRAFT INVESTIGATION REVEALED SEVERED TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT LOCATED ON TAIL BOOM AND THE APPEARANCE OF INSUFFICIENT MAIN ROTOR ENERGY TO CUSHION LANDING PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI99GA155Accident · 2 fatalFinal reportPoplar Bluff, MOThe tail rotor's impact with the blue warm-up jacket and the subsequent overload of the tail rotor drive shaft. A contributing factor was the absence of the helicopter's entry doors.May 17, 1999 · Destroyed