Bell OH 58A accident near Sacramento, California, December 4, 2016
On December 4, 2016 at about 5:00 am local time, a 1971 Bell OH 58A (helicopter), registered N916PD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sacramento, California (Mc Clellan Airfield). It was a public-use flight (local) under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the vertical stabilizer due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2016 · about 5:00 am local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Sacramento, California · Mc Clellan Airfield · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH 58A NO SERIES, built 1971 · all OH 58As on the register
- Registration
- N916PD · registry record · serial 71-20440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (local) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the takeoff, flight, and landing for a local routine helicopter patrol flight, he did not experience any turbulence nor did any of the flight controls reveal an indication that something was wrong. The pilot reported that during the postflight inspection, the vertical stabilizer was found bent downward away from the tail rotor. A postaccident examination of the vertical stabilizer revealed a fatigue crack that initiated at the aft end of the inboard skin at about the middle of the span. A stop-drill hole was present above the upper aft attachment hole, indicating that the vertical stabilizer was allowed to continue in service after a crack had been detected that extended about 1 1/4 inches from the aft edge of the inboard edge. The crack intersected the lower side of the stop-drill hole, and a fatigue crack reinitiated from the forward side of the stop-drill and continued to propagate towards the leading edge. The operator acquired the helicopter as US Army surplus. Since 2003, the US Army’s daily inspection checklist included inspection for cracks originating from the four attachment inserts on the inboard of the vertical stabilizer. The operator’s maintenance vendor was not aware of the US Army aviation safety action message for the daily inspection for cracks inboard of the vertical stabilizer. Had those daily inspections of the vertical fin attachment area been accomplished, these cracks would likely have been identified.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Vertical stabilizer › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,310 hours in all; 1,963 in this make and model; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 24, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,662.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 23, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 4,097 hours total
- Operator: City of Sacramento
The flight
- Departed from: MCC Sacramento CA at 3:20 am
- Destination: MCC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from KSAC, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on August 28, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 18-055 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Flight Officer's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Army Manual Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Asam 06 Vertical Fin | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N916PD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bell OH-58 329 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bell 3,079 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rolls Royce T63-A-720 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Clellan Airfield · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR17LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.