Hiller UH-12A N6331D

Summary

On 29 June 2013 at about 16:30 local time, a Hiller UH-12A registered N6331D, operated by River Cleaning Inc, was involved in an accident near Florence, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2013 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Florence, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

34.8931, -87.5842

Aircraft

Hiller UH-12A

Registration

N6331D

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

River Cleaning Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Florence → Florence

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA308

1 person was seriously injured.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter while landing, which resulted in a tail rotor ground strike and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on a trailer in order to transport it to another location. A witness reported that, while the helicopter was hovering above the trailer, it started to drift backwards. Subsequently, the nose of the helicopter rose, the tail struck the ground, the helicopter rolled to the right, the main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on the right side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.