Bell OH58A N176SJ

Summary

On 18 May 2021 at about 19:30 local time, a Bell OH58A registered N176SJ, operated by Tri-Rotor Crop Services LLC, was involved in an accident near Ulysses, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 May 2021 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ulysses, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

37.5656, -101.3703

Aircraft

Bell OH58A

Registration

N176SJ

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Tri-Rotor Crop Services LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA225

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line during the aerial application flight, which resulted in collision with the power line and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing aerial application operations when the helicopter collided with a power line and subsequently impacted terrain. The pilot was fatally injured. The accident occurred during the pilot’s 21st pass over the field that day, and the pilot had been maneuvering to avoid the wire numerous times prior to the accident. Examination of the helicopter revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the power line during the aerial application flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.