Hiller UH-12D N63LC
23 October 1989 · Mentor, Ohio, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 October 1989 at about 18:05 local time, a Hiller UH-12D registered N63LC was involved in an accident near Mentor, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mentor, Ohio, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.6895, -81.3301
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12D
- Registration
- N63LC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Concord → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL90GA010
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND TREES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER (HEL) WAS BEING USED TO TAKE A RADIO TO A COUNTY EMERG OPNS CENTER TO TEST ITS RECEPTION AT 500' AGL. LOADED WITH THE RADIO, 27 GAL OF FUEL & A PAX, IT WAS WITHIN ITS WT & BALANCE LMTS. AS THE HEL WAS APCHG THE 500' LCTN &WAS BEING SLOWED IN LIGHT WIND (EST FM 160 DEG AT 5 KTS), THE PLT FELT A MODERATE VIBRATION. HE INTERPRETED THIS AS A TAIL ROTOR PROBLEM & REACTED BY ADJUSTING THE THROTTLE & OPERG THE PEDALS. HE STATED THAT THIS SEEMED ONLY TO OSCILLATE THE TAIL & CAUSE A LOSS OF LIFT. ALSO, HE NOTED THE VIBRATION SLOWED IN FREQ & BCM MORE VIOLENT. HE ATMTD TO INCREASE ENG RPM & RAISE THE COLLECTIVE TO GAIN ALT, BUT THE HEL BGN SPIRALING. IT THEN CRASHED ON WOODED TERRAIN & BGN BURNING, BUT THE OCCUPANTS EGRESSED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE ACDNT, THOUGH SOME BINDING WAS NOTED IN THE PITCH CHANGE MECHANISM. SVRL WITNESSES INDCD THAT BEFORE THE ACDNT, THE HEL APCHD THE AREAFM THE NE & BGN SLOWING, AS IF THE PLT INTENDED TO HOVER. IT THEN BGN ROTATING TO THE RGT & SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1989 | Hiller UH-12D | Bolinas, California, United States | Mountain Air Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1988 | Hiller UH-12D | Winterhaven, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1990 | Hiller UH-12D | Walla Walla, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1990 | Hiller UH-12D | Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Apr 1988 | Hiller UH-12D | Bakersfield, California, United States | West Farm Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 1987 | Hiller UH-12D (H23) | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr 1989 | Cessna 170 | Orwell, Ohio, United States | Paul Hatala | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1989 | Cessna 152 | Ravenna, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 May 1989 | Cessna 152 | Hinckley, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 May 1989 | Rockwell 114 | Dayton, Ohio, United States | National Choice Acft Maint, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 1989 | Piper PA-22-135 | Medina, Ohio, United States | David L. Hartley | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 1989 | Piper PA-32RT-300T | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Ferguson LEE, Inc. | No injuries | - |