Hiller UH-12E N102HT
11 July 1996 · Cottondale, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 July 1996 at about 22:30 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N102HT, operated by James E Willoughby, was involved in an accident near Cottondale, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cottondale, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.7895, -85.3705
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E
- Registration
- N102HT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- James E Willoughby
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Jackson Helprt → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL96LA104
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
failure of the main rotor drive torsional coupling and inner gimbal ring, which resulted in jamming of the flight controls during an attempted autorotation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Approximately two minutes into the climbout, the pilots felt a vibration in the airframe followed by a loud bang. The pilots entered an autorotation and selected a field for a forced landing. The pilots reported that, subsequently, as they were attempting to control the helicopter, the flight controls would not respond to inputs. Control of the helicopter was lost, and it impacted the ground inverted. Examination of the helicopter disclosed that the main drive clutch and engine gimble ring with the torsional coupling had failed. Debris from the failed components was not recovered for examination. A review of the maintenance logs showed that the drive coupling assembly had 511 hours of total service since new. Wreckage examination also disclosed that the entire transmission assembly had rotated from its normally installed position, and that the flight control rods were displaced from their normal position.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1996 | Hiller UH-12E | Healdsburg, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1996 | Hiller UH-12E | Big Lake, Minnesota, United States | Triple H Aviation, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1996 | Hiller UH-12E | Mount Holly, Arkansas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 May 1996 | Hiller UH-12E | Hellam, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 May 1997 | Hiller UH-12E | Granby, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1995 | Hiller UH-12E | Dos Palos, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150M | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Robinson R-22-BETA | Bunnell, Florida, United States | International Helicopter Acad. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150F | Ocala, Florida, United States | TOM McGhee Aircraft | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172N | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1996 | Enstrom F-28C | Defuniak Spring, Florida, United States | Robert D. Duda | Minor injuries | - |