Eurocopter EC130 B4 accident near Seminole, Oklahoma, January 2, 2013
On January 2, 2013 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Eurocopter EC130 B4 (helicopter), registered N334AM, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Seminole, Oklahoma. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to ice ingestion. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s delayed decision to install the helicopter's engine inlet cover until after the engine had been exposed to moisture and freezing temperatures and their inadequate daily preflight/airworthiness checks, which did not detect the ice formation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 2013 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Seminole, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter EC130 B4 · all EC130 B4s on the register
- Registration
- N334AM · registry record · serial 4694
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported hearing a sound like something had struck the helicopter shortly after departure while about 1,600 to 1,700 feet mean sea level. The engine lost power, and the pilot performed an autorotation to a field. While maneuvering to land, he saw a barbed wire fence obstructing the intended landing area, so he maneuvered the helicopter to clear the fence. The helicopter subsequently cleared the fence and landed hard in a field. Engine examination revealed that the four axial compressor blades exhibited significant deformation on the outboard tips of their leading edges in the direction opposite of normal rotation consistent with the ingestion of soft body foreign object debris, such as ice. A subsequent engine run did not detect any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. For 3 days before the accident flight, the helicopter was parked outside without its engine cover installed and was exposed to light drizzle, rain, mist, and fog. The engine inlet cover was installed the day before the accident at an unknown time. The helicopter remained outside and exposed to freezing temperatures throughout the night until 2 hours before the flight. Although the helicopter was maintained in a ready status on the helipad and maintenance personnel performed daily preflight/airworthiness checks, the inlet to the first-stage of the axial compressor was not inspected to ensure that it was free of ice in accordance with the Aircraft Maintenance Manual. Based on the weather conditions that the helicopter was exposed to during the 3 days before the accident, it is likely that ice formed in the engine air inlet before the flight and that, when the pilot increased the engine power during takeoff, the accumulated ice separated from the inlet and was ingested by the engine and damaged the compressor blades.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Autorotation Hard landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Nacelles/pylons structure › (general) › Not specified
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Low temperature › Effect on equipment
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Drizzle/mist › Effect on equipment
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Rain › Effect on equipment
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › Air intake › Inadequate inspection
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Effect on operation
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Maintenance personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › (general) › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,708 hours in all; 663 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 24, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,121 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2013; 3 hours since
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 2B1 (turboshaft); 1,119 hours total
- Operator: Air Methods CORP
The flight
- Departed from: KSRE Seminole OK at 6:42 pm
- Destination: Okemah OK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KSNL, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.