20030512010529A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Hughes OH-6A · Pantak, AZ · May 12, 2003

Date: May 12, 2003 · 11:55 local
Place: Pantak, AZ
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N6636H
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX03TA150
Reported as: Hughes OH6A
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,500 total3,000 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N6636HRegistration cancelled Feb 16, 2005 · Hughes OH-6AS/N 6716209 Airframe modelHughes OH-6A

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.

(-23) On may 12, 2003, a Hughes oh 6A, public-use helicopter operated by the U.S. Border patrol collided with terrain and was destroyed. The pilot reported that while flying about 300 feet above ground level he heard a loud bang followed by the helicopter becoming uncontrollable. The tail rotor gearbox and tail rotor blade assembly were missing from the wreckage. During the search for the missing components, searchers found a U.S. Border patrol flight jacket approximately 0.7 miles west of the accident site. The flight jacket had been shredded and had the same red and white paint transfers as that of the tail rotor blades.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MAY 12, 2003, A HUGHES OH 6A, PUBLIC-USE HELICOPTER OPERATED BY THE U.S. BORDER PATROL COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE FLYING ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL HE HEARD A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY THE HELICOPTER BECOMING UNCONTROLLABLE. THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX AND TAIL ROTOR BLADE ASSEMBLY WERE MISSING FROM THE WRECKAGE. DURING THE SEARCH FOR THE MISSING COMPONENTS, SEARCHERS FOUND A U.S. BORDER PATROL FLIGHT JACKET APPROXIMATELY 0.7 MILES WEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE FLIGHT JACKET HAD BEEN SHREDDED AND HAD THE SAME RED AND WHITE PAINT TRANSFERS AS THAT OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES.

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 LAX03TA150Accident · Serious injuriesFinal reportPan Tak, AZThe pilot in command's failure to adequately secure loose cargo (a jacket), which resulted in the jacket colliding with the tail rotor during cruise flight, and the subsequent separation of the tail rotor and loss of flight control. A factor associated with…May 12, 2003 · Destroyed