Hiller UH-12E N145HA
13 October 1994 · Salinas, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 13 October 1994 at about 12:40 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N145HA, operated by Helicair AG, Inc., was involved in an accident near Salinas, California, United States. One person was on board and one was 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 12:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Salinas, California, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E
- Registration
- N145HA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Helicair AG, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dawn
- NTSB number
- LAX95LA005
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
an in-flight engine compartment fire for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY FOR THE HELICOPTER. A GROUND LOADER CREWMAN WAS WATCHING THE APPLICATION RUN AND REPORTED THAT HE SAW WHITE SPARKS AND A FIRE IN THE AREA OF THE ENGINE, THEN THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SPIN AND FELL TO THE GROUND. A FIRE THEN ENVELOPED THE AIRCRAFT. AN FAA INSPECTOR RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE AND EXAMINED THE HELICOPTER. HE REPORTED THAT DRIVE SYSTEM CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGHOUT THE AIRCRAFT, AND THAT ALL ROTATING COMPONENTS OF THE MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR SYSTEMS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE WRECKAGE. THE ENGINE WAS EXAMINED IN DETAIL. THE ACCESSORY SECTION, ALL ACCESSORIES, THE CARBURETORS, MAGNETOS, PUMPS, AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT FUEL AND OIL LINES WERE COMPLETELY MELTED. THE NUMBER TWO CYLINDER HEAD SUSTAINED EXTREME HEAT DISTRESS WITH PARTIAL MELTING OF THE HEAD NOTED. THE VALVES, VALVE SPRINGS, ROCKER ARMS, AND VALVE SEATS FOR THE NUMBER TWO CYLINDER HEAD WERE PRESENT IN THE REMAINS OF THE HEAD. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND OF AN INTERNAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 1994 | Hiller UH-12E | Hephzibah, Georgia, United States | Custom Air Brewton, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 1994 | Hiller UH-12E | Farmville, Virginia, United States | Stevens, James E. | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1994 | Hiller UH-12E | Osage, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 May 1994 | Hiller UH-12E | Eugene, Oregon, United States | Lane County Sheriff's Dept. | Unknown | - |
| 9 Sep 1994 | Hiller UH-12E | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States | Fowler, Richard L | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 1993 | Hiller UH-12E | Salinas, California, United States | R and B Helicopters Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |