Arrow Falcon Exporters OH-58+ accident near Cougar, Washington, November 6, 2007
On November 6, 2007 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Arrow Falcon Exporters OH-58+ (helicopter), registered N831SD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cougar, Washington. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a nearby tree while performing a hover-climb. Factors include his failure to maintain clearance from his long-line cable, and his likely diverted attention to the entanglement of the cable on the helicopter's wire strike mechanism.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2007 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cougar, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Arrow Falcon Exporters OH-58+
- Registration
- N831SD · registry record · serial 69-16120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After lifting off from a dirt pad, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter into a seven to ten foot hover over the fertilizer bucket that was on the end of his long-line. Once centered over the bucket, the pilot began to climb straight up in a hover. As he lifted the bucket off the ground, the helicopter's nose dipped aggressively down, and the pilot became aware that the long-line was caught on the left side of the lower wire strike mechanism. The pilot attempted to put the bucket back on the ground, but the helicopter again dipped forward and to the right. As the pilot continued to attempt to maintain the position of the helicopter while he put the bucket back on the ground, it impacted a nearby Noble fir tree, and fell to the terrain below. According to the pilot and the Federal Aviation Administration Inspector who responded to the scene, there were no anomalies or malfunctions associated with the helicopter's flight controls, engine, or airframe.
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: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cougar WA at 4:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.