Hughes OH 6A accident near Pan Tak, Arizona, May 12, 2003
On May 12, 2003 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Hughes OH 6A (helicopter), registered N6636H, was destroyed in an accident near Pan Tak, Arizona. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot in command's failure to adequately secure loose cargo (a jacket), which resulted in the jacket colliding with the tail rotor during cruise flight, and the subsequent separation of the tail rotor and loss of flight control. A factor associated with the accident is the rear door unlatching in-flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pan Tak, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes OH 6A · all OH 6As on the register
- Registration
- N6636H · no longer on the register · serial 780594
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the back door on the helicopter opened, and a flight jacket that had been unsecured in the back seat departed the helicopter and became entangled in the tail rotor assembly. The tail rotor assembly subsequently separated from the tail boom, and the pilot was unable to maintain control of the helicopter. He entered an autorotation, but due to the diminished control capability, the helicopter struck the ground hard and rolled onto its side.
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; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,236 hours in all; 2,237 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,405 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,620 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 1,173 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,859.3 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 24, 2003; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ajo AZ at 6:30 pm
- Destination: TUS Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KTUS, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6636H 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.