# Accident 20030820034279A: Bell TH13T, Light, AR, August 20, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 20, 2003, 11:20 local time
- Place: Light, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: NOSG
- Location: 36.0701° N, 90.7479° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Light, AR, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0701&lon=-90.7479&mi=10
- Aircraft: N38CD, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38CD-2012-11-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell TH-13T (registry code 1180813, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-th-13t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming VO-435 series (registry code 41525, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-vo-435-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL TH13T
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,498 total, 360 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030820034279A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) A BELL TH-13T HELICOPTER, N38CD, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE TERRAIN DURING AN FAR 137 RE-POSITIONING FLIGHT. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE FLYING NORMALLY, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ENGINE NOISE FOLLOWED BY A VERY STEEP DESCENT ANGLE AND THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED BEHIND A TREE LINE. DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE FLIGHT. THE NTSB IS PLANNING AN ENGINE TEARDOWN/RUN.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

## Other reports on N38CD (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19870906049849A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870906049849A), Sep 6, 1987: Bell TH13T (N38CD), Enterprise, AL, Substantial damage. Collided with the runway during a practice autorotation approach. Unable to execute recovery before hitting runway.

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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.