Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74 accident near Santa Maria, California, September 29, 2013
On September 29, 2013 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1977 Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74, registered N38113, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Santa Maria, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate monitoring of the environment and failure to maintain clearance from transmission wires during a low-altitude maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2013 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Maria, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Texas Helicopter CORP OH-13E/M74, built 1977 · all OH-13E/M74s on the register
- Registration
- N38113 · registry record · serial 77-012
- 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 pilot reported that before he began his first aerial application run, he flew overhead to scout the designated field for hazards and noted a power line near the field. He stated that he had a "momentary lapse" during his first application pass and flew through the wires, which shattered the cabin's main Plexiglass bubble and struck the main rotor mast. Both push-pull flight control tubes were compromised just above the swashplate. The helicopter fell to the ground and came to rest upright on its landing skids. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,315 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 17, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: R&S Crop Dusters INC
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from SMX, 6 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.
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 WPR13LA429.