Hiller UH 12E N130HA

Summary

On 29 March 2015 at about 01:00 local time, a Hiller UH 12E registered N130HA, operated by Mid-Cal AG Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Firebaugh, California, 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

29 March 2015 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Firebaugh, California, United States

Coordinates

36.8500, -120.4600

Aircraft

Hiller UH 12E

Registration

N130HA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Mid-Cal AG Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Firebaugh → Firebaugh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA138

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, during the agricultural application flight, the engine started to shake violently. The pilot executed a left turn and positioned the helicopter into the wind, but the helicopter started to descend, and the engine then lost power. The pilot conducted an autorotation, and the helicopter subsequently impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.