- Date
- October 19, 1985, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Daggett, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N51862Texas Helicopter M74A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851019056909A
- Case key
- 25270
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt stated he had just lifted off for a fertilizer spreading operation with an external load bucket, when the eng had a partial pwr loss at 100 ft AGL. A descent was started and the bucket was disengaged. However, while the plt was attempting to land the helicopter, the tail rotor contacted the ground, followed by the main rotor blades. When the helicopter came to rest, it was laying on it's right side. Post accident inspection disclosed te movable breaker of the left magneto breaker point assembly was found broken off and laying in the bottom of the magneto housing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51862
- Reported as
- Texas Helicopter M74A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 79-02B
- Airframe hours
- 1,069
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-A1F, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Aerohead Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 29, 1985 · 35 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,013 total · 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N51862 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.