Hughes OH 6A accident near Price, Utah, February 8, 2017
On February 8, 2017 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1970 Hughes OH 6A (helicopter), registered N6640Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Price, Utah. It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fuel truck driver’s failure to stop before impacting the helicopter’s main rotor blades.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2017 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Price, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes OH 6A NO SERIES, built 1970 · all OH 6As on the register
- Registration
- N6640Z · registry record · serial 66-16076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter pilot reported that, after landing to refuel, he reduced power to flight idle and initiated a 2-minute cooldown before shutting off the engine. One minute into the cooldown, the fuel truck approached the helicopter from the rear and struck the main rotor blades. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades.
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
- Ground handling event during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of procedures › Flight service personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Flight service personnel
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,350 hours in all; 2,315 in this make and model; 4,110 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,701.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 3,987 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PUC Price UT at 5:00 pm
- Destination: East Carbon UT
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KPUC, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2017. 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 | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6640Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes OH-6 28 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 386 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20B 215 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Carbon County Rgnl/Buck Davis Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 264 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,355 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA17CA135.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.