Bell OH 58 N588MP

Summary

On 10 July 2016 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell OH 58 registered N588MP was involved in an accident near Surprise, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one 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

10 July 2016 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Surprise, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.5792, -112.4153

Aircraft

Bell OH 58

Registration

N588MP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buckeye → Buckeye

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA372

1 person had minor injuries.

While at a low altitude, the pilot's decision to do an abrupt descending right downwind turn which resulted in flying through his own vortices and an impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of an aerial application helicopter reported that after spraying a field he noticed that he missed a portion of the field. The pilot further reported that he maneuvered at a low altitude to the south end of the field, made a quick right turn to the north, dove into the field at approximately 45 knots, flew into his own vortices, and impacted the terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.