Texas M74 N51852
31 August 1994 · Salinas, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 31 August 1994 at about 14:30 local time, a Texas M74 registered N51852, operated by Gomes Farm Air Service, Inc., was involved in an accident near Salinas, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Salinas, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.6696, -121.6092
- Aircraft
- Texas M74
- Registration
- N51852
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Gomes Farm Air Service, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Castroville → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA342
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and in-flight fuel consumption monitoring.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT SAID HE DEPARTED THE COMPANY BASE AND WENT TO A FIELD NEAR SALINAS WHERE HE SPRAYED THE CROPS WITH CHEMICALS FOR 1 1/2 HOURS. THE PILOT SAID HE 'RAN OUT OF GAS' WHILE PROCEEDING TO A NEARBY COMPANY TRUCK FOR ANOTHER LOAD OF CHEMICALS AND FUEL. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND THE MAIN ROTOR SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Texas M74 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 1991 | Texas M74 | Farmington, California, United States | Ag-Air, Inc | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |