Texas OH 13H/M74A N51853

Summary

On 28 May 2014 at about 15:15 local time, a Texas OH 13H/M74A registered N51853 was involved in an accident near Little Falls, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 May 2014 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Little Falls, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

46.1083, -94.3469

Aircraft

Texas OH 13H/M74A

Registration

N51853

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Little Falls → Little Falls

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA418

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree at the edge of a field that he was spraying.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting an aerial application flight. A witness reported observing the helicopter crossing over a highway that bordered a large field that the helicopter was spraying. The witness added that the helicopter was about three-quarters of the way down the field when it appeared to "hop." As the helicopter ascended, it appeared to veer right, and it then continued to ascend to about twice the height of nearby trees while rapidly spinning in circles. The witness lost sight of the helicopter when his vehicle passed trees alongside the road. After passing the trees, the witness looked back and saw smoke coming from a farm building. During an examination of the accident scene, a portion of one of the tail rotor blades was found at the base of a tree located on the west edge of the field. Cut and broken branches were found distributed westward from the tree along the ground. The helicopter was found embedded in the roof of a metal building about 70 yards west of the tree. An examination of the helicopter systems revealed no preimpact anomalies. It is likely that, on completion of his aerial application pass, the pilot did not pull the helicopter up in time to avoid the tree located at the edge of the field that he was spraying.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.