Bell OH-58A accident near Poplar Bluff, Missouri, May 17, 1999
On May 17, 1999 at about 9:08 pm local time, a Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N77MP, was destroyed in an accident near Poplar Bluff, Missouri. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The tail rotor's impact with the blue warm-up jacket and the subsequent overload of the tail rotor drive shaft. A contributing factor was the absence of the helicopter's entry doors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1999 · about 9:08 pm local time
- Place
- Poplar Bluff, Missouri
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N77MP · registry record · serial 72-21187
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter departed controlled flight while en route to the Poplar Bluff Airport, Poplar Bluff, Missouri. A witness stated that the helicopter appeared to be 450 feet agl. The helicopter was then reported by the witness to have made three to four rotations during its descent. The OH-58A/C lists procedures for the 'COMPLETE LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR THRUST'. Examination of the tail rotor drive shaft revealed a 45-degree torsional fracture. There was rotational scoring near the fracture area on the interior housing for the tail rotor drive shaft. An elastic material with navy blue yarns was found wrapped around the tail rotor. The yarns were consistent with those of a navy blue warm up jacket found along the reported flight path. The helicopter's entry doors were removed for the 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,467 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 3,261 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,443 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 30, 1998; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MAW Malden MO at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from POF, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.