Texas Helicopter OH-13E/M74L accident near Los Banos, California, December 28, 1993
On December 28, 1993 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Texas Helicopter OH-13E/M74L, registered N38110, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Banos, California. 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
A FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO UTILIZE CARBURETOR HEAT. THE CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS WERE A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 1993 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Los Banos, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter OH-13E/M74L OH-13E/M74
- Registration
- N38110 · registry record · serial 77-010
- 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 APPLYING HERBICIDE ON A COTTON FIELD UTILIZING A HELICOPTER EQUIPPED WITH A RECIPROCATING ENGINE AND CARBURETOR, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION TO THE FIELD. DURING THE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR, MAIN ROTOR BLADES, AND TAIL BOOM. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE POWER LOSS WAS DUE TO CARBURETOR ICE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,453 hours in all; 4,263 in this make and model; 10,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,550 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 18, 1993; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435-D10 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°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 N38110 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX94LA084.