Texas Helicopter Corp OH 13H/M74A N51853 accident near Little Falls, Minnesota

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA418 for the full record.