Texas Helicopter Corporation OH-13E/M74 accident near New Columbia, Illinois, May 3, 2011
On May 3, 2011 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Texas Helicopter Corporation OH-13E/M74, registered N38096, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near New Columbia, Illinois. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the wheat crop during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2011 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- New Columbia, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter Corporation OH-13E/M74
- Registration
- N38096 · registry record · serial 77-005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aerial-application helicopter was operating from an uncultivated area of the wheat field being sprayed. The pilot stated that, shortly after takeoff, while accelerating through translational lift, the helicopter encountered a momentary loss of lift, consistent with an encounter with a wind gust, and settled into the wheat crop. The helicopter pitched down suddenly as the spray booms made contact with the crop and subsequently collided with terrain. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,399 hours in all; 2,384 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 14,933 as pilot in command; 84 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,040 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hendrickson Flying Service, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: New Columbia IL at 11:30 pm
- Destination: New Columbia IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from M30, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 8, 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 | Memorandum of Conversation, Ronald Korth | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports | 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 N38096 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
- N38096 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1C 191 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,069 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N38096 1 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/CEN11LA317.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.