Bell OH-58A accident near Estacada, Oregon, November 15, 2023
On November 15, 2023 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 1969 Bell OH-58A (helicopter), registered N103WC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Estacada, Oregon. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control during an external load operation, which resulted in the helicopter’s main rotor blades impacting the tail boom.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2023 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Estacada, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell OH-58A, built 1969 · all OH-58As on the register
- Registration
- N103WC · registry record · serial 69-16083
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was relocating bundles of trees from the harvest field onto a truck bed. Approximately 30 minutes into the operation, the load hook did not immediately release when he was setting a bundle down. The pilot pressed the release button multiple times, as he had done in similar situations in the past. The helicopter’s momentum, as it moved back towards the field, caused the bundle to slide a few feet. One of the main rotor blades then struck the tail boom, and the other blade flapped down, cutting off the rear section of the tail boom, vertical stabilizer, and tail rotor. The helicopter spun several times before landing, resting flat on the skids. The landing impact was forceful enough to break the mast and dislodge the main transmission. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, vertical stabilizer, tail rotor, and transmission. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- External load event (Rotorcraft) during maneuvering (hover)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,858 hours in all; 591 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 1,774 as pilot in command; 52 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,087 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 12, 2023; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Edgefield Aviation LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from KUAO, 18 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KUAO 151553Z 02004KT 2 1/2SM BR BKN007 BKN035 OVC050 08/07 A2995 RMK AO2 RAB13E39 SLP142 P0001 T00780067
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N103WC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 WPR24LA036.