Garlick OH-58A+ accident near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, July 27, 2022
On July 27, 2022 at about 7:15 pm local time, a 1972 Garlick OH-58A+ (helicopter), registered N132HD, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and visual lookout, which resulted in impact with a powerline.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2022 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Garlick OH-58A+, built 1972
- Registration
- N132HD · registry record · serial 41930
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an aerial application flight while spraying a corn field, the helicopter’s tail section struck a powerline. The pilot did not see the powerline, which crossed over the middle of the cornfield perpendicular to the spray pass he was performing, but he knew what he had struck as soon as the helicopter came into contact with it. He had already begun to pull up out of the field when the helicopter struck the powerline and was still moving forward at approximately 50 mph. As the helicopter slowed and he reached about 200’ agl, the helicopter began a yaw to the right that developed into an uncontrollable spin in the same direction. As the helicopter began spinning faster and faster, the pilot rolled off throttle to minimize the torque induced rotations. During the touchdown, the helicopter impacted in an approximately level attitude, and then rolled over on its right side, and was substantially damaged. The pilot noted that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident could have been avoided if more “field recon” procedures were done to be certain that powerlines are avoided.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,720 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 5,425 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 13, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,030 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 15, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 C20C (turboshaft); 1,880 hours total
- Operator: Triple F Flying INC
The flight
- Departed from: None Buckhorn PA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KSEG, 19 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSEG 271853Z AUTO 21005KT 10SM SCT048 BKN060 BKN080 28/19 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP133 T02780194=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Location | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N132HD 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.