- Date
- August 19, 1988, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N51862Texas Helicopter M74A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880819034339A
- Case key
- 25738
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
During an aerial application flight, just after takeoff, the nose of the helicopter suddenly pitched up. The pilot reduced power to keep from climbing. The fore/aft cyclic control had no effect. The helicopter settled to the ground resulting in substantial damage. Inspection of the fore/aft control linkage, revealed that a bolt was missing between the swash plate and the push pull tube.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51862
- Reported as
- Texas Helicopter M74A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 79-028
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Aerohead Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 28, 1988 · 45 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
- 42
- 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
- 9,500 total · 2,200 in this make and model · 9,190 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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.