Garlick Helicopters Inc OH-58A+ accident near Alpine, AL
On June 25, 2021, a Garlick Helicopters Inc OH-58A+ (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Alpine, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 25, 2021
- Place
- Alpine, AL
- Aircraft
- Garlick Helicopters Inc OH-58A+ · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.256°N, 86.252°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210626103346
Official records · ERA21LA269
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 25, 2021, about 1650 central daylight time, a Garlick Helicopters OH-58+, N372NS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Alpine, Alabama. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. Before the accident flight, the pilot, along with a loader/fueler (ground crewmember), had been conducting chemical spraying operations from an abandoned drag strip about 3/4 mile southwest of the accident site. The ground crewmember stated the pilot had sprayed about 5 loads (500 acres) and had 5 loads remaining to spray. Each load took between 15 and 20 minutes. The ground crewmember was not aboard the helicopter during the accident flight. About 1650, a local resident heard a helicopter that was flying “real low,” but she could not see the helicopter because of trees. The helicopter kept getting closer, and she heard a sound “like propellers hitting a tree, and then a boom like an explosion.” When she eventually saw the helicopter, it was “turned all to pieces.” The local resident could smell fuel, and she “started to see a little bit of smoke, but there was no fire.” A video recording captured the helicopter during an application flight over an adjacent cornfield before the accident flight. Review of the video recording revealed that the helicopter was flying at a low altitude and below the trees and powerlines that surrounded the field, and the helicopter would gain altitude at the end of each pass over the field to clear the surrounding trees and powerlines. The he
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines during a low-level aerial application flight, resulting in main rotor blade impact with a fiber-optic cable, a loss of control, and the helicopter’s subsequent impact with terrain.
More accidents in AL
- Beech C99, Jul 10, 1991
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Browse: Alabama
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
