Texas Helicopter OH-13H accident near Gilroy, California, September 26, 1998
On September 26, 1998 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Texas Helicopter OH-13H, registered N1001G, was destroyed in an accident near Gilroy, 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
The pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1998 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gilroy, 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-13H
- Registration
- N1001G · no longer on the register · serial 79-035
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was headed back to the airport, about 50 feet agl, and felt a strong vibration throughout the entire helicopter. The aircraft pitched up and gained about 50 to 75 feet of altitude and began to turn to the right. The pilot reported that he lowered the collective, applied full left cyclic, and leveled the aircraft. He stated that about 15 feet agl he lost control and the helicopter impacted the ground in a 30- to 45-degree left roll attitude. The pilot reported that the engine was still running for about 5 to 10 seconds after impact, then quit on its own. He stated that he had not experienced any malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident. No discrepancies were found during an examination of the airframe, powerplant, and control systems.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,691 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,602 as pilot in command; 16 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,635 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 5, 1998; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 307 Hollister CA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N1001G 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.