ERA26LA344

On September 18, 2026, at 1604 eastern daylight time, an Aerospatiale SA315B helicopter, N238HA was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Workmore, Georgia. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. According to the pilot, he arrived at a field to conduct an agricultural aerial application. He landed the helicopter on the tanker truck and the helicopter was refilled with 145 gallons of product. The pilot stated that at the time of takeoff, all engine temperatures were normal. The helicopter lifted off the truck and began to make a sound that he described as a piece of plastic or paper on a main rotor blade. The pilot attempted to reach an suitable area for landing but had only attained an altitude of about 40 feet above ground level and was losing lift. The pilot then “pulled the collective to correct lift loss” but the helicopter did not respond as expected. When he realized he was not going to make his landing area, he “pulled all of the cyclic” to slow the descent rate but the helicopter did not respond. The helicopter landed hard 300 feet from the tanker truck. The tail rotor impacted the ground and main rotor blades severed the tail rotor from the tail boom. A small postaccident fire ensued behind the helicopter around the tail boom area. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor, the tail boom, fuselage and the main rotor blades. The helicopter was recovered and retained for further examination.