Bell OH-58C accident near New Athens, IL
On May 12, 2011, a Bell OH-58C (helicopter) was involved in an accident near New Athens, IL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 12, 2011
- Place
- New Athens, IL
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58C · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.343°N, 89.918°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110515X15314
Official records · CEN11FA337
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 12, 2011, about 1517 central daylight time, a Bell OH-58C, N9263Y, impacted terrain during an aerial application flight near New Athens, Illinois. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage including separation of the aft tail boom/tail rotor assembly and crushing of the forward fuselage. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Couch Helicopter Service, Inc., Walcott, Arkansas, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from New Athens, Illinois, at an unconfirmed time. The helicopter was being used to spray fungicide on a wheat field. The operator reported that the helicopter pilot would land the helicopter on the platform of a support truck positioned in the farm field. Another employee would then fill the chemical hopper and add fuel as required while the pilot remained in the running helicopter. Once filled, the pilot would then proceed back to the field and continue the spray operation. This process would continue until spraying of the field was complete. According to the operator, the pilot had completed twelve of these cycles and was proceeding back to the field when the accident occurred. Two employees of the operator were present at the support truck when the accident occurred. One of the employees reported that he was standing on the end of the support truck when the helicopter lifted of
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to attain sufficient altitude to clear terrain while maneuvering.
More accidents in IL
- Beech 1900C, Nov 19, 1996
- Beech C-45H, Sep 7, 1992
- Hawker Siddeley HS-748-2A, Oct 12, 1983
- Cessna 414A, Apr 7, 2015
- Cessna 172P, Jul 19, 1997
Browse: Illinois · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
