Texas Helicopter M74C accident near Rayville, Louisiana, July 11, 1988
On July 11, 1988 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Texas Helicopter M74C, registered N47345, was destroyed in an accident near Rayville, 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
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 11, 1988 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rayville, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter M74C
- Registration
- N47345 · registry record · serial 76-002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS SPRAYING HIS COTTON FIELD WITH HIS OWN HELICOPTER. THE ACFT HIT A TREE DURING A RIGHT TURNING PULL-UP. THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE SEVERED FIRST THEN, DURING AN UNCONTROLLED RIGHT TURN, THE TAILBOOM HIT ANOTHER TREE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK A TREE AND THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD AND BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. THE HELICOPTER ROLLED INVERTED AND CAME TO REST IN A DITCH.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,996 hours in all; 2,587 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,702 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1988; 106 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N47345 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.