Williams UH 1H N260TA
23 May 2014 · Waitsburg, Washington, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 23 May 2014 at about 23:02 local time, a Williams UH 1H registered N260TA, operated by Archer Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Waitsburg, Washington, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:02
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Waitsburg, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.3800, -118.2036
- Aircraft
- Williams UH 1H
- Registration
- N260TA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1970
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Archer Aviation Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Waitsburg → Waitsburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR14LA206
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
An extreme vibration immediately after entering forward flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to maintain helicopter control during the landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot was conducting an agricultural cherry drying flight in the helicopter. Surveillance video showed the helicopter lift off the ground into a momentary low hover, climb and move forward and upward, and then immediately descend while rolling toward its right side until it impacted the ground. The pilot stated that the initial takeoff into the hover felt normal and that he then increased the altitude to get out of a dust cloud generated by the helicopter. As he transitioned the helicopter to forward flight, it experienced a "violent" one-to-one vibration that continued to increase as the helicopter continued forward. The pilot aborted the takeoff and subsequently lost control of the helicopter while attempting to land. Postaccident wreckage examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Williams UH-1H accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 2011 | Williams UH-1H | Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States | Airwest Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2024 | Williams UH-1H | Colusa, California, United States | A&P Helicopters Inc | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 2014 | Weinzierl SEAREY | Stanwood, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2014 | Piper PA 18A 150 | Walla Walla, Washington, United States | Walla Walla University | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 2014 | Coulter Hugh Clarke PULSAR XP SERIES I | Bremerton, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2014 | Maule MX 7-235 | Port Orchard, Washington, United States | Thompson James A | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2014 | Cessna 210A | Port Angeles, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2014 | American Champion 7GCBC | Rimrock, Washington, United States | Rainier Flight Services | No injuries | - |