Bell OH58A accident near Ulysses, Kansas, May 18, 2021
On May 18, 2021 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1970 Bell OH58A (helicopter), registered N176SJ, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ulysses, Kansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2021 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ulysses, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH58A NO SERIES, built 1970 · all OH58As on the register
- Registration
- N176SJ · registry record · serial 70-15556
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Last flight review: October 21, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 11, 2021; 8,382.7 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20C (turboshaft); 1,744 hours total
- Operator: Tri-Rotor Crop Services LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from KGCK, 38 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGCK 181854Z 13009G17KT 10SM SCT100 19/13 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP118 T01940133
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 7, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Information | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Case Findings | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N176SJ the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.