Texas Helicopter OH13E/M74 accident near Veedersburg, Indiana, July 17, 1985
On July 17, 1985 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Texas Helicopter OH13E/M74, registered N10000, was destroyed in an accident near Veedersburg, Indiana. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1985 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Veedersburg, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter OH13E/M74
- Registration
- N10000 · registry record · serial 79-029
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED DURING A HARD FORCED LANDING IN A SOYBEAN FLD FOLLOWING A LOSS OF PWR. INSPECTION OF THE HELICOPTER REVEALED THE CARBURETOR, FUEL FILTER AND FUEL TANK WERE VOID OF FUEL. THE PLT RECEIVED RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES DURING THE ACCIDENT AND PASSED AWAY AT A LATER DATE FROM THOSE INJURIES.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,824 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2,503 as pilot in command; 6 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 716 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1985; 409 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Veedersburg IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.