Bell OH-58C N82772

Summary

On 27 May 2011 at about 23:00 local time, a Bell OH-58C registered N82772, operated by Bay County Sheriffs Office, was involved in an accident near Panama City, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 May 2011 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Panama City, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Panama City - Bay County Inter (PFN)

Coordinates

30.2122, -85.6828

Aircraft

Bell OH-58C

Registration

N82772

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Bay County Sheriffs Office

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Panama City → Panama City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11TA317

2 people had minor injuries.

The drooping electrical conduit, which snagged the vertical fin and resulted in the pilot's inability to control the helicopter. Contributing to the accident was the operator's decision to have the pilot fly the helicopter out of the hangar.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was hover taxiing the helicopter straight out of an old, temporary hangar, as he had done numerous times. He estimated that the helicopter was about 3 feet above the ground, the last few feet of the tail were still inside the hangar, and he heard a loud bang. He started to lower the collective, but could not control the helicopter, which tipped over on its left side as it impacted the ground. Photographs showed that the main rotor blades had separated from the mast. The vertical tail fin had scrape marks on its top and the upper leading edge had an almost horizontal line several inches below the top. The tail rotor blades, which did not extend above the top of the vertical fin, were pristine. The hangar door overhead frame had three sets of scrape marks, with one angled about 30 degrees to the right and two sets angled about 20 to 25 degrees to the left. Electrical conduit would have normally been secured above the hangar door frame, but was drooped below it, separated and coiled. Remnants of the conduit, and the fact that the main rotor blade tips would have rotated above the vertical tail fin, indicate that the conduit likely had drooped below the hangar frame after the main rotor passage, then snagged the top of the vertical fin. The multiple sets of scrape marks at different angles on the underside of the overhead hangar frame indicate that the helicopter then likely pivoted several times while snagged, as the pilot lost control. No preexisting mechanical malfunctions were noted with the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.