ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 166623
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| Date: | Wednesday 28 May 2014 |
| Time: | 10:15 |
| Type: |  Texas Helicopter M74A Wasp (Bell OH-13H) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N51853 |
| MSN: | 78-021 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7697 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-435 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Little Falls, MN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Little Falls, MN |
| Little Falls, MN | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a tree at the edge of a field that he was spraying.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N51853
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-May-2014 23:02 | Geno | Added |
| 07-Jun-2014 09:44 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Aug-2014 13:01 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Damage] |
| 17-Sep-2016 10:00 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 14:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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