Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Bartow Muni Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Bartow, Florida 33830
Monday, October 22, 2001 1:03 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The helicopter crashed into a swampy area at night in foggy conditions about a mile from the departure airport. The pilot and observer were returning to the airport on an aerial surveillance flight when the pilot was asked to divert to provide assistance for a law enforcement official. Contact with the flight was lost thereafter. Reportedly the pilot always used his night vision goggles when flying at night. Two pairs of the goggles were recovered from the wreckage, but it was not determined if they were being used at the time of the accident. Transcripts of radio communication with the flight indicates the pilot reported fog conditions. A witness reported fog conditions at and adjacent to the airport. The weather observation for the airport was recorded, in part, as a quarter-mile visibility with a 400-foot cloud ceiling. Examination of the helicopter did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC, and his failure to maintain altitude, resulting in an in-flight collision with the ground. Factors in this accident were fog, and dark night.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/22/2001 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 103 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Bartow |
| Event State | FLORIDA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 33830 |
| Event Date Year | 2001 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 275710N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0814808W |
| Event Location Airport | BARTOW MUNI |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | BOW |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1.2 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 244 |
| Airport Elevation | 128 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 100 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 64 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BOW |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 128 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 16 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.05 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 154 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 13503 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Comm Ctr-SE |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 22 2001 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 22 2003 6:32AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Orlando FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N911DB |
| NTSB Number | MIA02GA011 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bell |
| Aircraft Model | OH-58A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 72-21189 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3350 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 18 2001 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 134.2 |
| Airframe Hours | 4848.5 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Polk County Sheriff's Dept. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 455 North Broadway Ave. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Bartow |
| Aircraft Owner State | FL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 33830 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Public Use |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | BOW |
| Departure City | Bartow |
| Departure State | FL |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 30 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 23 2003 2:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | KENJ |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 9L |
| Runway Length | 5001 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |