Hiller UH-12E N3375T

Summary

On 24 July 2024 at about 14:30 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N3375T was involved in an accident near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, United States. 3 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.

Date

24 July 2024 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bonners Ferry, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

48.8384, -116.5674

Aircraft

Hiller UH-12E

Registration

N3375T

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bonners Ferry → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA262

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper selection of a landing site, which resulted in a main rotor strike. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper performance planning and altitude selection over water, which resulted in an rpm droop.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the helicopter reported that with two passengers aboard, he approached a mountain lake to a hover above the water and saw the engine and rotor speed decrease to the green arc of the engine and rotor tachometer. He maneuvered the helicopter to the shore, and with the engine and rotor continuing to droop, he landed on some “substantially sized granite rocks” where the skids became lodged in the rocks. The helicopter then tipped forward and the main rotor blades impacted the rocks, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor and fuselage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that he did not verify the performance capability for an in-ground effect or a hover out of ground effect over water. The Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21B, states, “When hovering over surfaces as tall grass, trees, bushes, rough terrain, and water, maximum ground effect is reduced.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.