Bell OH 58A N303HP

Summary

On 19 June 2018 at about 18:06 local time, a Bell OH 58A registered N303HP, operated by North Carolina State Highway Patrol, was involved in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, 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

19 June 2018 at 18:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Garner Road Heliport (3NC2)

Coordinates

35.7319, -78.6286

Aircraft

Bell OH 58A

Registration

N303HP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

North Carolina State Highway Patrol

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Raleigh → Raleigh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA170

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, during which he failed to detach ground handling equipment from the helicopter before initiating the takeoff, which resulted in the subsequent dynamic rollover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

In preparation for a local flight, the commercial pilot moved the helicopter from the hangar to the helipad on an electric transporter that was attached to the helicopter skids. During the pilot's preflight preparation, shortly after he had unhooked the left skid from the transporter, the passenger interrupted him to ask if the flight controls could be removed from the copilot's side. After removing the controls, the pilot continued with his preflight inspection; however, he forgot to unhook the right skid from the transporter. Subsequently, during the takeoff, the helicopter rolled right until the main rotor blades struck the ground. The pilot's failure to unhook the transporter from the right skid led to the subsequent dynamic rollover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.