Hiller UH-12E N236HA
26 February 2011 · Colusa, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 February 2011 at about 18:00 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N236HA was involved in an accident near Colusa, California, 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 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Colusa, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.2694, -122.0689
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E
- Registration
- N236HA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Colusa → Colusa
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR11CA146
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed and an inadvertent encounter with settling with power while flying downwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he and the owner of the helicopter were flying a reconnaissance flight in preparation for a possible frost control flight the following morning. They were attempting to identify potential obstacles in the area. As they were flying slowly over the north edge of an almond orchard he initiated a descent, and slowed the helicopter to just above effective translational lift. He turned southbound and noted a 7- to 10-mile-per-hour tailwind. He reported that the tailwind, coupled with the descent, caused the helicopter to enter a settling with power condition. He stated that due to the close proximity of the trees he was not able to perform a normal recovery of lowering the collective and applying forward cyclic control. The helicopter descended between a row of trees and the main rotor blades struck the trees. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter before the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 2011 | Hiller UH-12E | Lost Hills, California, United States | Slikker Flying Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 2011 | Hiller UH-12E | Culpeper, Virginia, United States | Kritter Cropdusting, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 2011 | Hiller UH-12E | Stockton, California, United States | Alpine Helicopter Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2010 | Hiller UH 12E | Kamiah, Idaho, United States | Valley Helicopter | Fatal | 3 |
| 29 Jul 2010 | Hiller UH-12E | Holly Hill, South Carolina, United States | Haddock Flying Service Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2010 | Hiller UH-12E | Tipton, California, United States | Costa Spraying Inc | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 2011 | Cessna 172K | Napa, California, United States | Stratus Aviation, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2011 | Cessna 172P | Palo Alto, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Feb 2011 | Cessna A150M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2011 | Grumman G-164A | Buttonwillow, California, United States | Vince Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2011 | Cessna 140A | Newark, California, United States | Morris Kenneth E | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2011 | Bell 47G | Porterville, California, United States | Agra Fly | No injuries | - |