Bell OH-58A accident near Wetumpka, Alabama, September 3, 1996
On September 3, 1996 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N160SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wetumpka, Alabama (Wetumpka Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot improper use of flight controls (cyclic a nd collective) on a takeoff to a hover, resulting in the helicopter rolling to the right, and the main rotor blade colliding with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1996 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wetumpka, Alabama · Wetumpka Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N160SA · registry record · serial 70-15286
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was attempting a takeoff to a hover from soft terrain. The left skid came off the ground, and the helicopter started to roll to the right. The main rotor blades collided with the ground, as the student pilot applied full left cyclic and lowered the collective pitch to the full down position.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 270 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 164 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,501 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1996; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 08A at 5:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:28 pm from ANB, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.