Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74 accident near Farmington, California, February 22, 2012
On February 22, 2012 at about 7:25 pm local time, a 1977 Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74, registered N43921, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Farmington, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the wood portion of one main rotor blade while maneuvering at low level, the reason for which could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2012 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Farmington, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74, built 1977 · all OH-13E/M74s on the register
- Registration
- N43921 · registry record · serial 76-003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- 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 conducting aerial application flights in the single main rotor helicopter over a flat, level agricultural field. He had already conducted several uneventful flights that day in the helicopter on other portions of the same field. Just as the pilot completed a course reversal turn, the helicopter crashed in the field. The turn was the last thing the pilot remembered about the flight, and there were no eyewitnesses. Although the field was soft, and the helicopter's airspeed and altitude were low, the helicopter was extensively fragmented. One main rotor blade was found about 500 feet from the rest of the wreckage. That wood main rotor blade was essentially intact, except for the absence of its metal core and multiple linear, spanwise fastener tearouts at the root. The core was fracture-separated in overstress from its blade grip and was bent in a 270-degree arc. All these signatures were consistent with the wood blade, minus the core, separating from the rotor hub while in flight. The loss of the blade, and the subsequent imbalance to the rotor disc, induced vibratory loads that exceeded the structural strength of the helicopter, and resulted in extensive fragmentation of the helicopter before ground impact. No damage patterns consistent with a ground rotor strike were observed. The incompleteness of the maintenance records prevented the determination of the service history of the failed blade as well as its compliance with required inspections. The reason for the failure of the blade wood could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Part(s) separation from AC during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › Main rotor blade system › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › Maintenance records › Operator
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,539 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: AG Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: Farmington CA at 7:24 pm
- Destination: Farmington CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:55 pm from SCK, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N43921 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.