Arrow Falcon Exporters Inc. Arrow F OH-58A accident near West Memphis, Arkansas, November 5, 2005
On November 5, 2005 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Arrow Falcon Exporters Inc. Arrow F OH-58A (helicopter), registered N331TA, was destroyed in an accident near West Memphis, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to a disconnected pneumatic (Pc) line. A contributing factor was the ravine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2005 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- West Memphis, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Arrow Falcon Exporters Inc. Arrow F OH-58A
- Registration
- N331TA · no longer on the register · serial 72-21331
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The wreckage of the single-engine turbine-powered helicopter was found 3 days after the accident in a ravine separating two cultivated fields. There were no reported eye-witnesses to the accident and no distress calls were received from the aircraft. Damage to the main and tail rotor were found to be consistent with low rotor RPM at the time of impact. The 1,050-hour private pilot appeared to have experienced a loss of engine power. Examination of the engine revealed an engine pneumatic (Pc) line from the governor to the fuel control unit was found detached from its mounting location. The associated "B-nut" and ferrule which connect the Pc line to the threaded mounting port on the fuel control unit had backed off from their normally installed locations. Complete separation of a Pc pneumatic tube will result in reduced fuel flow to a sub-idle condition. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area at the time of the accident.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,050 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,807 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2005; 92 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lee Catt Construction Company Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Marion AR at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KAWM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.