Bell OH-58A accident near Bartow, Florida, October 22, 2001
On October 22, 2001 at about 5:03 am local time, a Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N911DB, was destroyed in an accident near Bartow, Florida (Bartow Muni airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC, and his failure to maintain altitude, resulting in an in-flight collision with the ground. Factors in this accident were fog, and dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2001 · about 5:03 am local time
- Place
- Bartow, Florida · Bartow Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N911DB · registry record · serial 72-21189
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter crashed into a swampy area at night in foggy conditions about a mile from the departure airport. The pilot and observer were returning to the airport on an aerial surveillance flight when the pilot was asked to divert to provide assistance for a law enforcement official. Contact with the flight was lost thereafter. Reportedly the pilot always used his night vision goggles when flying at night. Two pairs of the goggles were recovered from the wreckage, but it was not determined if they were being used at the time of the accident. Transcripts of radio communication with the flight indicates the pilot reported fog conditions. A witness reported fog conditions at and adjacent to the airport. The weather observation for the airport was recorded, in part, as a quarter-mile visibility with a 400-foot cloud ceiling. Examination of the helicopter did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,031 hours in all; 226 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Other crew
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,848.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 18, 2001; 134.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63-A720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOW Bartow FL at 4:30 am
- Runway 9L, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 am from BOW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.