Hiller UH-12ET N9762C

Summary

On 20 April 2000 at about 13:00 local time, a Hiller UH-12ET registered N9762C, operated by Henry Haddock, was involved in an accident near Stonesboro, South Carolina, United States. One person was 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.

Date

20 April 2000 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stonesboro, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

33.9389, -81.1194

Aircraft

Hiller UH-12ET

Registration

N9762C

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Henry Haddock

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stonesboro → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL00LA043

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper inflight decision not to refuel which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had completed two spray runs and was on the third operation when he experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot explained that, the truck used to support the spraying operation had been driven into a ditch and he was distracted by the truck driver's problem, and neglected to refuel the helicopter. Moments later, the engine lost power after the helicopter ran out of fuel. The pilot selected an area for a forced landing. During the final approach to touchdown, the tail rotor assembly collided with a tree. The subsequent examination of the helicopter disclosed that there was only a trace of fuel in the fuel tanks. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the helicopter before the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.