Bell OH-58A accident near La Puente, California, November 6, 1999
On November 6, 1999 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N911RN, was destroyed in an accident near La Puente, California. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 1999 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- La Puente, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N911RN · registry record · serial 70-15123
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a loss of engine power, the helicopter slid forward on the ground and the main rotor blades severed a power pole during an autorotation to a city street. While in cruise flight at 100 knots and 600 feet above ground level, the N1 engine speed began to bleed off. The pilot modulated the throttle and attempted other corrective action. However, the N1 and N2 speeds continued to bleed off and the pilot began a right turn for a 180-degree autorotation. A vehicle moved onto the road where he planned to land. The pilot attempted to land on a traffic island, but the helicopter continued on into the power pole. Following a temporary loss of power in August, maintenance technicians had removed and replaced the fuel pump and fuel control units. The helicopter accumulated about 50 hours between this maintenance and the accident. A 50-hour inspection was completed just before this flight. All connections for the pneumatic, oil supply, and scavenge lines were secure. The oil screen was clean. Fuel was present in all the fuel lines and a vacuum check on the fuel system revealed no discrepancies. The fuel spray nozzle was sooty but clear. The electric fuel pump discharged over 1 gallon of fuel in 1 minute, and investigators pumped out a total of 30 gallons of fuel from the helicopter's fuel tank. The engine driven fuel pump filter was absent of contaminants. The airframe external fuel filter contained visible contaminants, but not enough to prevent normal engine operation. The engine and transmission chip detectors were clean. The compressor, N1 turbine, and N2 turbine turned freely when manually rotated. There were no leaks in the PG governor pressure lines. The engine was run in a test cell and tested satisfactorily through accelerations, decelerations, and horsepower checks in all parameters in accordance with the Allison overhaul manual.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,697 hours in all; 2,187 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 2,570 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,750 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 3, 1999; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMT El Monte CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: Industry CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 131°F (55°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:07 pm from FUL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N911RN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 LAX00TA030.