Texas OH-13E/M74 N38110
11 June 2010 · Los Banos, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 June 2010 at about 03:30 local time, a Texas OH-13E/M74 registered N38110, operated by Bettencourt Flying Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Los Banos, 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 03:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Banos, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.9833, -120.6667
- Aircraft
- Texas OH-13E/M74
- Registration
- N38110
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Bettencourt Flying Service Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Atwater → Los Banos
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- WPR10CA285
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot's failure to verify the fuel quantity onboard.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that during an aerial application flight he lined up for a downwind spray pass at an approximate height of three feet above the crop. During the pass the engine sputtered and died. He entered an auto-rotation and attempted to slow the aircraft down from 50 MPH. The aircraft subsequently impacted terrain and came to rest on its side. The pilot noted that the helicopter was refueled for the second time during the job about an hour prior to the accident. An FAA Inspector's report noted that the helicopter was not refueled to its proper quantity, causing the pilot to miscalculate the fuel on-board. Post impact inspection of the aircraft revealed an estimated two gallons or less of fuel in the tank, and that there were no ruptures in the fuel tank. During the on-scene inspection there was no odor of fuel at the accident site. Post-recovery engine tests revealed that the engine operated without any significant issues and fuel contamination was ruled out.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Texas OH-13E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2011 | Texas OH-13E/M74 | New Columbia, Illinois, United States | Hendrickson Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 2012 | Texas OH-13E/M74 | Farmington, California, United States | AG Air Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 2013 | Texas OH-13E/M74 | Champaign, Illinois, United States | Reynolds Aerial Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 2013 | Texas OH-13E/M74 | Santa Maria, California, United States | R&S Crop Dusters Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2003 | Texas OH-13E-M74 | Tulare, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2003 | Texas OH-13E | Byron, Illinois, United States | Hendrickson Flying Service | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2010 | Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164B | Courtland, California, United States | Walter Avery | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 2010 | Cessna 172P | Camarillo Airport, California, United States | Channel Islands Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2010 | Piper PA-30 | Merced, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 2010 | Robinson R22 BETA | Long Beach, California, United States | Temco Sky Networks | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2010 | Rans COYOTE II S6 | Lincoln, California, United States | Michael S. Gorden | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Oct 2010 | Boeing A75N1(PT17) | Palm Springs, California, United States | Kent Thomas | No injuries | - |