NTSB Factual Report

On July 9, 2003, at 0745 mountain daylight time, a Continental Copters MK6B, N9080T, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering during an aerial application flight near Ft. Yates, North Dakota. The pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 137 flight had departed approximately two minutes prior to the accident after refueling and loading chemical into the helicopter's hopper. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed.

The pilot reported he had taken off from the support truck after refilling with aerial application fluid. He stated he had flown south to return to the field, and then made a "wide swing" to the southwest. The pilot noted he continued his turn to the east, and then the north while descending to get back "on the swath." He reported the helicopter began to settle in what he described as a "settling with power situation by [his] rotorwash." The pilot stated he dropped the collective and pushed the nose forward in an attempt to recover from the settling situation. He noted, "I was already [too] close to [the] ground so I flared to reduce airspeed." The pilot reported the spray booms became caught in the potato crop and the skids caught in the wet ground. The helicopter nosed forward and rolled to the right, coming to a rest on its right side.

The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or defects during the accident flight.

NTSB Probable Cause

The inadvertent settling with power and unsuccessful remedial action by the pilot. A factor to the accident was the potato crop.