Hiller UH12 N116S

Summary

On 9 May 2010 at about 23:00 local time, a Hiller UH12 registered N116S, operated by Helicopter Service by Randy, LLC, was involved in an accident near Sarasota, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 May 2010 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sarasota, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.3189, -82.4339

Aircraft

Hiller UH12

Registration

N116S

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Helicopter Service by Randy, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sarasota → Sarasota

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA262

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's delayed remedial action to maintain main rotor rpm, which resulted in a loss of lift and hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner of the helicopter stated that while in cruise flight, he let his rotor rpm decay due to inattention and "complacency." He decided he could not recover the rotor rpm "quickly enough" and performed an autorotation to a pasture. The pilot leveled the helicopter about 8 feet above the ground where it "lost lift [and] dropped straight down." At ground contact, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.