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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the vertical stabilizer due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2016 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Sacramento, California · Mc Clellan Airfield · 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
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR17LA034.