Texas M74 N43921
11 September 1991 · Farmington, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 11 September 1991 at about 14:58 local time, a Texas M74 registered N43921, operated by Ag-Air, Inc, was involved in an accident near Farmington, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Farmington, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.9603, -120.8690
- Aircraft
- Texas M74
- Registration
- N43921
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Ag-Air, Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA388
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE HELICOPTER, AND THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF FLIGHT CONTROLS DUE TO IMPAIRMENT FROM USE OF A DRUG (MARIJUANNA).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER THE HELICOPTER WAS RELOADED WITH 500 LBS OF SULFUR, THE PILOT TOOK OFF & DEPARTED TO THE NORTHWEST AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FT TO CONTINUE THE APPLICATION MISSION. THE GROUND CREW REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE, THE ENGINE BACKFIRED SEVERAL TIMES & THE HELICOPTER BEGAN SETTLING TAIL FIRST TO THE GROUND. GROUND CONTACT SEPARATED THE TAIL BOOM FROM THE HELICOPTER & IT ROTATED TO THE LEFT. THE SKIDS SEPARATED & THE RIGHT SULFUR TANK RUPTURED. A SULFUR FIRE ERUPTED. THE PILOT EXITED THE COCKPIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE & WAS STRUCK BY THE MAIN ROTOR. THE HELICOPTER WAS LOADED 69 LBS OVER ITS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OF THE HELICOPTER OR ENGINE WAS FOUND. TESTS OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD SHOWED 0.009 UG/ML OF 11-NOR-DELTA-9-TETRAHYRDROCANNABINOL & 0.012 UG/ML OF 11-NOR-DELTA-9-THC-9-CARBOXYLIC ACID. A TEST OF HIS URINE DETECTED 0.129 UG/ML OF 11-NOR-DELTA-9-CARBOXYLIC ACID.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Texas M74 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Aug 1994 | Texas M74 | Salinas, California, United States | Gomes Farm Air Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |