Accident · 2016-11-01
What the record says
- Event date
- 2016-11-01
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury level
- Minor injury
- Aircraft
- BELL OH 58C (N139RD)
- Operating rule
- Part 137
- Operator
- HELICOPTER APPLICATORS INC Operator named in NTSB report
- Operated by (per NTSB report)
- HELICOPTER APPLICATORS INC
Probable cause
An in-flight failure of a main rotor blade due to fatigue cracks. Contributing to the failure of the main rotor blade was the absence of guidance to the operator to inspect an area of the main rotor blade known to be susceptible to fatigue cracks and the accident helicopter type certificate holder’s lack of information of an existing inspection published by another restricted-category type certificate holder of the same model helicopter.
Source: NTSB case ERA17LA032Flight crew
Certification and experience as recorded in the NTSB accident database for this event. The NTSB records these facts about the crew's flying history; GroundCheck shows them as filed, without names or identities.
| Role | Certificate | Instrument rating | Age | Medical | Flight hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot pilot flying | Flight instructor / Commercial | Helicopter | 51 | Class 2 (2016-02-09) | 3,731 total · 2,888 in this make/model · 3,639 as PIC · 323.7 last 90 days |
Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.