Hiller UH-12E N112EC
5 January 2001 · Cleveland, Tennessee, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 January 2001 at about 21:00 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N112EC was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was 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 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cleveland, Tennessee, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1696, -84.8596
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E
- Registration
- N112EC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cleveland → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA01LA055
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The PIC's failure to follow safe operating procedures for the maintenance of the rotorcraft's external aerial application equipment, resulting in inadvertent activation of collective as he egressed the rotorcraft, causing unmanned flight, in-flight break-up, and collision with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, the externally slung, hydraulically operated fertilizer bucket stopped dispensing. With no ground handling crewman available, the pilot set the rotorcraft down to troubleshoot the problem. With engine rpm near maximum to run the hydraulic pump to its maximum output, the pilot climbed out of the left seat, onto the left skid to read the externally mounted hydraulic pressure gage. While egressing the cockpit, the pilot accidentally bumped the collective control to the "increase rotor pitch" position, and the rotorcraft became airborne without him aboard. The rotorcraft climbed to about 500 feet agl, in circling flight until the loaded fertilizer bucket began swinging in ever-divergent oscillations causing rotorcraft instability and eventual main rotor-to-boom strike and crash.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2001 | Hiller UH-12E | Hastings, Nebraska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2001 | Hiller UH-12E | Blythe, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 2001 | Hiller UH-12E | Conchas, New Mexico, United States | Miller Aero Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 2000 | Hiller UH-12E | Five Points, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 2002 | Hiller UH-12E | Goshen, Oregon, United States | Sundance Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Nov 1999 | Hiller UH-12E | Kaohslung, Taiwan | Emerald Pacific Airlines | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 2001 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Finley, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Oct 2001 | Cessna 188B | Whiteville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 2001 | Beechcraft F90-42 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Amprite Aviation Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 24 Jul 2001 | Mitchell T-10 | Ashland City, Tennessee, United States | Rayburn L. Williams | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 May 2001 | Cessna 150H | Maryville, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2001 | Bell OH-58A | Sevierville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |