Bell OH-58C accident near Lakeland, Florida, February 3, 1999
On February 3, 1999 at about 2:52 am local time, a Bell OH-58C (helicopter), registered N151ES, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Regional airport). 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 maintain clearance from the tug. A related factor was the induced pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 1999 · about 2:52 am local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · Lakeland Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58C · all OH-58Cs on the register
- Registration
- N151ES · registry record · serial 7015325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had completed his duty day and had secured the helicopter in the hangar. Another officer then came to him at the hangar and told him that another Sheriff's Department needed their assistance right away. The pilot then took the helicopter out to the pad on a dolly, that was pulled by a tug, the size of a riding lawn mower. His usual procedure was to disconnect the tug and move it out of the way. On this flight because of the urgency of the request he left the tug attached, and moved it to the left of the dolly, but not out of the way. The pilot and the officer entered the helicopter, called for departure at 2152, brought the helicopter to a hover, initiated forward flight for departure, and moved forward approximately 12 feet, when the left skid tip struck the tug. The skid became stuck under the hood approximately 6 inches from the top of the tug. The helicopter pivoted forward causing the tail boom to move up. The pilot then attempted to correct the pitch attitude change with aft cyclic input causing the main rotor to strike tail boom cutting off the vertical fin, tail rotor and gear box, plus about 5 feet of tail boom. The nose pitched down causing the main rotor to strike the ground, the helicopter spun, and rolled over coming to rest on its right side. On the day of the accident the pilot woke up at 0630, took a flight physical that was completed at 1030. He ate lunch from 1100 to 1200, and reported for duty at 1300. Prior to the accident, he had flown a total of 1.6 hours. He was scheduled to be off duty at 2200.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 4,100 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 1,650 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,800 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 29, 1999; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from LAL
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.
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.