Hiller UH12ET N9278Z

Summary

On 25 September 1984 at about 13:01 local time, a Hiller UH12ET registered N9278Z was involved in an accident near Yuma, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

25 September 1984 at 13:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Yuma, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Hiller UH12ET

Registration

N9278Z

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yuma → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

LAX84LA494

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS CARRYING A LOAD OF PESTICIDE FOR APPLICATION ON A BROCCOLI FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN LEVEL FLIGHT, APPROXIMATELY 4 TO 8 FEET AGL WHEN IT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSUMED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE TWO MAIN ROTOR BLADES HAD SEPARATED IN-FLIGHT. EXAMINATION OF THE SEPARATED ROTOR BLADE REVEALED A FATIGUE TYPE FRACTURE OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE SPAR TUBE THROUGH THE OUTBOARD RETENTION BOLT HOLES. THE FAILED MAIN ROTOR BLADE SPAR BORE EVIDENCE OF CORROSION. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE CUFF WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE THAT ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT LOGBOOKS HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH AS REQUIRED. THE LAST THREE LOGBOOK NOTATIONS, DOCUMENTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AD, WERE ENTERED AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.