Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A accident near Duson, Louisiana, July 30, 1993
On July 30, 1993 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A (helicopter), registered N9014T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Duson, Louisiana. 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
FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION MAST BEARING, RESULTING IN OIL CONTAMINATION AND SUBSEQUENT BLOCKAGE OF THE INTERNAL OIL PORTS AND PASSAGES. FACTORS WERE: TOTAL LOSS OF COLLECTIVE CONTROL AND PARTIAL LOSS OF CYCLIC CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1993 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Duson, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A TOMCAT MK5
- Registration
- N9014T · no longer on the register · serial CC174-5
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENGAGED IN AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION, THE PILOT HEARD BANGING NOISES AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO OVERSPEED. ALTHOUGH COLLECTIVE CONTROL WAS INEFFECTIVE, THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE HELICOPTER TO A HARD LANDING USING THROTTLE AND PARTIAL CYCLIC CONTROL. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THE TRANSMISSION MAST BEARING HAD FAILED, CONTAMINATING THE OIL WITH STEEL PARTICLES THAT OBSTRUCTED THE INTERNAL OIL PASSAGES.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,150 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,786 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1993; 358 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Penn-Tex Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.