Bell OH-58A N76PD

Summary

On 27 December 2001 at about 20:05 local time, a Bell OH-58A registered N76PD was involved in an accident near El Paso, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 2001 at 20:05

Classification

Accident

Location

El Paso, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.8998, -106.4107

Aircraft

Bell OH-58A

Registration

N76PD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

El Paso → Santa Teresa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02TA060

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, which resulted in a forced landing. A contributing factor was the moving ground vehicle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter departed and was in cruise flight at 4,500 feet msl (approximately 500 feet agl) when the pilot heard a "muffled pop." Approximately 2 seconds had passed when the pilot heard a second muffled pop, followed by either the low rotor rpm or engine out warning horn. The pilot then entered an autorotation to a residential street. During the autorotation, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter to avoid a moving ground vehicle. Subsequently, the main rotor blades contacted trees, the helicopter landed hard, and it came to rest upright. The pilot had accumulated 865 hours in helicopters with 4 hours in the make and model of the accident helicopter, at the time of the accident. The engine was examined; its outer casing was intact and there was no evidence of a catastrophic engine failure. A pneumatic check was performed and no leaks were found. The fuel lines were examined and no loose fittings or fuel leaks were found. The engine was removed from the airframe, placed in a test cell, and a test run was performed. The engine operated within the manufacturer's specifications at idle, cruise, takeoff, and maximum power settings. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.