- Date
- September 3, 1996, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wetumpka, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N160SABell OH-58A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960903036229A
- Case key
- 38100
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot improper use of flight controls (cyclic a nd collective) on a takeoff to a hover, resulting in the helicopter rolling to the right, and the main rotor blade colliding with the ground.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot was attempting a takeoff to a hover from soft terrain. The left skid came off the ground, and the helicopter started to roll to the right. The main rotor blades collided with the ground, as the student pilot applied full left cyclic and lowered the collective pitch to the full down position.
Factual narrative
On September 3, 1996, a Bell OH-58A, N160SA, registered to the State of Alabama, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 public-use instructional flight, crashed on takeoff to a hover in the vicinity of Wetumpka, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported no injuries. The flight was originating from the Wetumpka Municipal Airport at the time of the accident.
The student pilot stated they had considerable rain in the local area, and the grassy area that he was taking off from was soft. He increased collective pitch, the left skid came off the ground, and the helicopter started to roll to the right. The main rotor blades collided with the ground, as he was applying full left cyclic and lowering the collective pitch to the full down position. The helicopter rocked to the left and came to rest upright on its skids.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N160SA
- Reported as
- Bell OH-58A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 70-15286
- Airframe hours
- 9,501
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20C, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Public use
- Registered owner
- State Of Alabama
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 29, 1996 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 08A
- Airport
- 08A · Wetumpka Municipal
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 270 total · 58 in this make and model · 164 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 59 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ANB, 80 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.