Bell OH-58A accident near Hegins, Pennsylvania, July 19, 2024
On July 19, 2024 at about 5:08 pm local time, a 2011 Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N176SA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Hegins, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate pre-flight and in-flight planning, which resulted in the helicopter striking a wire hazard during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2024 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Hegins, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A, built 2011 · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N176SA · no longer on the register · serial 71-20850
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot explained that he flew a perimeter reconnaissance of the fields designated for fungicide application with the helicopter. He identified hazards to flight (wires, houses, terrain features, wind direction, etc.) and then completed applications over three of the assigned areas before beginning a fourth. As the pilot aligned the helicopter for an application pass and descended to “spray height” he detected a “loosely strung” powerline across his path that sagged to about “4-5 feet above the height of the corn.” The pilot attempted to climb the helicopter over the wire but was unsuccessful. Immediately after contact with the wire, the pilot experienced a “very rough” vertical vibration and decaying rotor rpm, so he initiated a power-on autorotation for landing. At touchdown on upsloping terrain, the helicopter pitched forward, the pilot corrected with an aft cyclic input, the helicopter entered a “dynamic rollover” to its right and came to rest on its right side substantially damaged. The pilot reported that he was uninjured in the accident, and that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the helicopter preventing normal operation.
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
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,465 hours in all; 2,330 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 4,369 as pilot in command; 1,559 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 9, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,914 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royc T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Red Lion PA at 11:30 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KMUI, 14 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMUI 191655Z 26005KT 10SM SCT050 27/11 A3013 RMK AO2A SLP202 T02740110
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA314.