Accident Overview
On August 23, 2024, at approximately 1330 central daylight time, an Arrow Falcon Exporters OH-58A helicopter, registration N199BD, was substantially damaged during an accident near Newton, Texas. The helicopter was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and one person on the ground received minor injuries.
Circumstances of the Event
According to the load truck operator, the helicopter had successfully landed on the load truck platform about 20 times that day for reloading liquid chemical herbicide. During the accident landing attempt, the pilot landed too far forward on the platform, contacting the L-bracket stop rail. The helicopter then rolled off the back of the truck and impacted the ground inverted. The load truck operator reported that the right skid touched down, but the left skid may not have contacted the platform. The operator was knocked off the back of the truck and sustained minor injuries. The operator stated that the helicopter's engine sounded normal throughout the accident sequence.
The helicopter was equipped with single-point connections on the right side for reloading fuel and product. The platform was oriented to allow landing with the right side toward the aft end of the truck for the operator to access these connections. The reloading occurred with the engine running, a practice known as hot-loading. The operator noted that the pilot would sometimes land out of reach, requiring repositioning.
Examination Findings
An onsite examination revealed substantial damage to the main rotors, tailboom, tail rotor driveshaft, and fuselage. Flight control continuity from the cyclic and collective to the main rotor swash plate was confirmed with no anomalies. The tail rotor controls had continuity from the pedals to the aft cabin bellcrank, which was separated from its attach point. The flight control tube to the tail rotor was fractured in multiple areas consistent with impact damage. The tail rotor blades moved freely, and the tail rotor driveshaft was fractured multiple times but turned freely from the engine to the tail rotor with no anomalies.
The right skid exhibited horizontal scratching consistent with contact with the load truck L-brackets. The engine showed rotational scoring and torsional bending indicative of power production at impact. Internal rotating components rotated freely by hand, and no anomalies precluding normal operation were observed.
The load truck platform was equipped with L-brackets extending about 1.5 inches above the surface, acting as physical stops. These brackets had paint transfer consistent with the landing gear skid.