Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13H/M74A accident near Creston, Illinois, July 28, 2011
On July 28, 2011, a Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13H/M74A, registered N10009, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Creston, Illinois (Hendrickson Flying Service airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate skid clearance from the helicopter cart during landing, resulting in a dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2011 · cases in 2011
- Place
- Creston, Illinois · Hendrickson Flying Service · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13H/M74A · all OH-13H/M74As on the register
- Registration
- N10009 · registry record · serial 79-032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was landing the helicopter on a helicopter cart when its skid got caught on the cart and the helicopter subsequently rolled over. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter during the flight, and substantial damage was sustained to the helicopter tailboom when it rolled. Dynamic rollover is the tendency of a helicopter to continue rolling when the critical angle is exceeded, if one skid is on the ground, and the helicopter is pivoting around that point. Dynamic rollover is possible when a skid is caught by a projection on the surface or when landing on a slope.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Dynamic rollover during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,772 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 108 in the last 30 days; 8,674 as pilot in command; 1,554 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 10, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,347 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hendrickson Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: IL93 Creston IL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: IL93 Creston IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 11, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Miscellaneous - Operator Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N10009 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N10009 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Texas Helicopter Corp OH-13 14 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 SERIES 191 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hendrickson Flying Service Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,069 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N10009 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA524.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.