Bell OH-58A N103WC

Summary

On 15 November 2023 at about 15:45 local time, a Bell OH-58A registered N103WC, operated by Edgefield Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Estacada, Oregon, 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

15 November 2023 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Estacada, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

45.2659, -122.3552

Aircraft

Bell OH-58A

Registration

N103WC

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Edgefield Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

External Load

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

WPR24LA036

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control during an external load operation, which resulted in the helicopter’s main rotor blades impacting the tail boom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was relocating bundles of trees from the harvest field onto a truck bed. Approximately 30 minutes into the operation, the load hook did not immediately release when he was setting a bundle down. The pilot pressed the release button multiple times, as he had done in similar situations in the past. The helicopter’s momentum, as it moved back towards the field, caused the bundle to slide a few feet. One of the main rotor blades then struck the tail boom, and the other blade flapped down, cutting off the rear section of the tail boom, vertical stabilizer, and tail rotor. The helicopter spun several times before landing, resting flat on the skids. The landing impact was forceful enough to break the mast and dislodge the main transmission. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, vertical stabilizer, tail rotor, and transmission. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.