N51852

On August 31, 1994, at 0730 Pacific daylight time, a Texas Helicopters M74, N51852, sustained damage during a hard landing from an autorotation after an engine failure near Salinas, California. The helicopter was owned and operated by Gomes Farm Air Service, Inc., of Castroville, California, and was engaged in aerial application operations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at Castroville, California, on the morning of the accident at 0600.

According to the pilot's verbal statement to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors from the San Jose, California, Flight Standards District Office, he departed the company base and went to a field near Salinas where he sprayed the crops with chemicals. The pilot said he "ran out of gas" while proceeding to a nearby company truck for another load of chemicals and fuel. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor severed the tail boom.