# NTSB investigations: Bell OH-58A: Hard landing

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB WPR26LA328](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA328.md): Bell OH-58A · Phoenix, AZ · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report · Sep 3, 2026 · N480FT · Substantial damage
  > On September 3, 2026, about 0932 mountain standard time, a Bell OH-58, N480FT, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Deer Valley, Arizona. The pilots did not sustain any injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code…
- [NTSB WPR24LA041](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA041.md): Bell OH-58A · Brawley, CA · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Nov 21, 2023 · N158TR · Substantial damage
  > A total loss of engine power due to the failure of the No. 8 bearing and the subsequent failure of the scavenge oil pump.
- [NTSB CEN20LA187](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA187.md): Bell OH-58A · West Branch, MI · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · May 20, 2020 · N153SA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain rotor rpm during a precautionary autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the airframe vibration for reasons that could not be determined because examination of the helicopter revealed no…
- [NTSB ERA19LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA126.md): Bell OH 58A · Ponte Vedra Beach, FL · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Mar 13, 2019 · N519P · Substantial damage
  > A total loss of engine power due to the introduction of air into fuel lines and an interruption of fuel flow to the engine.
- [NTSB ERA17CA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17CA056.md): Bell OH 58A · Ponce, PR · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Oct 25, 2016 · N161PD · Substantial damage
  > The helicopter flight instructor's inadequate demonstration of a simulated engine failure, which resulted in a hard landing.
- [NTSB WPR16LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR16LA134.md): Bell OH 58A · Brawley, CA · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jul 2, 2016 · N6251G · Substantial damage
  > The engine's degraded performance due to excessive wear of the engine bleed valve, which prevented it from closing during the accident flight. Contributing to the accident was the operator's failure to overhaul the bleed valve within the…
- [NTSB ERA12CA199](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12CA199.md): Bell OH-58A · Eufaula, AL · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Mar 1, 2012 · N38FA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusting wind, which resulted in an excessive descent rate and hard landing.
- [NTSB ERA11TA318](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11TA318.md): Bell OH-58A · Ft. Pierce, FL · Accident · Minor injuries · Final report · May 29, 2011 · N911SL · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to recognize and avoid a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, which resulted in a loss of control and hard landing.
- [NTSB ERA10LA484](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10LA484.md): Bell OH-58A · Covington, TN · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Sep 18, 2010 · N38FA · Substantial damage
  > A loss of engine power due to contamination of the helicopter's fuel supply.
- [NTSB ERA10GA015](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10GA015.md): Bell OH-58A · Ocala, FL · Accident · No injuries · Final report · Oct 11, 2009 · N911AF · Substantial damage
  > The excessive wear and failure of engine governor components for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('1181579')
    AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND s.aircrafts_position = x.position AND s."tier2Number" = '092' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent")))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence?model=1181579

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