Arrow Aircraft Co. OH-58A accident near Crows Landing, California, January 12, 2000
On January 12, 2000 at about 5:00 am local time, a Arrow Aircraft Co. OH-58A (helicopter), registered N901SF, was destroyed in an accident near Crows Landing, California. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain altitude and clearance from terrain during a turn to reverse direction after encountering instrument meteorological conditions. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a full weather briefing before departure which accurately forecast the conditions encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2000 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Crows Landing, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Arrow Aircraft Co. OH-58A
- Registration
- N901SF · registry record · serial 72-21363
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter impacted terrain while reversing course in an unlit area, on a dark night, in marginal VFR weather. During a (pilot) abbreviated preflight weather briefing, the pilot did not request to receive the area forecast, which forecast cloud ceilings below 1,000 feet agl and visibilities less that 3 statute miles in precipitation, fog, and mist along the route. The pilot also declined to hear an airman's meteorological notice (AIRMET), which forecast areas of instrument flight conditions and mountain obscuration along his route of flight. The pilot was advised by the briefer that VFR flight was not recommended.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,873 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 146 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 5,108 as pilot in command; 1,856 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,097 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1999; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63A-720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA at 3:15 am
- Destination: San Francisco CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from MOD, 18 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX00GA073.