# Accident 20140327003999A: Bell OH-58A, Tehachapi, CA, March 27, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 27, 2014, 01:48 local time
- Place: Tehachapi, CA
- Airport: Tehachapi Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: KS0M
- Location: 35.1106° N, 118.3392° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1106&lon=-118.3392&mi=10
- Aircraft: N497E, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N497E) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell OH-58A (registry code 1181579, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-oh-58a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL OH-58A
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 16,110 total, 6,194 in this make and model, 41 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14TA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14TA149) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140327003999A

## Narrative

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

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 TRANSITIONING THROUGH THE TEHACHAPI VALLEY, N497E ENTERED IFR CONDITIONS AND LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY 58. N497E IMPACTED HARD INTO HIGHWAY 58, BOUNCING BACK INTO THE AIR. N497E WAS THEN FLOWN FROM THE INCIDENT LOCATION TO TEHACHAPI MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (TSP).

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (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…

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.

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