Hiller UH-12 N174HA
27 May 1996 · Walla Walla, Washington, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 May 1996 at about 00:29 local time, a Hiller UH-12 registered N174HA was involved in an accident near Walla Walla, Washington, United States. 2 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:29
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Walla Walla, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.1109, -118.2997
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12
- Registration
- N174HA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA96LA100
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate preflight/planning, and his failure to refuel the helicopter with sufficient fuel before flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: an inaccurate fuel quantity gauge, which displayed a false indication of fuel.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he exhausted his fuel supply while attempting to land at the destination airport for refueling. He had previously attempted to refuel at a remote landing zone equipped with a fuel truck, but the fuel truck was unable to pump fuel at that time. The pilot and the owner of the operation boarded the helicopter and decided to fly to the airport with what they thought was about 14 gallons of fuel on board. The pilot intended on landing the helicopter (en route), if the fuel gauge reached the 'yellow' range during the flight. About 2.5 nautical miles from the airport, when the fuel gauge needle was slightly outside of the yellow range, the engine 'quit.' The pilot executed an immediate autorotation. One of the helicopter's skids impacted soft terrain during the landing and a main rotor blade struck the ground. The helicopter rolled over and was substantially damaged.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1994 | Hiller UH-12 | Alvin, Texas, United States | Central Helicopter Services | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 1990 | Hiller UH-12-E | Los Banos, California, United States | Patterson Flying Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1990 | Hiller UH-12-E | Garrison, North Dakota, United States | Morten, Shawn B. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 1988 | Hiller UH-12-D | Bon-Wier, Texas, United States | Thomas E. Hanks | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2005 | Hiller UH 12-E | Five Points, California, United States | Huron AG Helicopter Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1984 | Hiller UH 12 D | Deerfield, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1996 | Cessna U206F | Crane Island, Washington, United States | West Isle Air | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 1996 | Cessna 172N | Enumclaw, Washington, United States | Aeroflight | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-18 | Ephrata, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1996 | Westcott GLASAIR I-FT | Puyallup, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 1996 | Grumman-Schweizer G-164B | Waitsburg, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |