Hiller UH-12E N40289
4 April 2008 · La Porte, Texas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 4 April 2008 at about 20:03 local time, a Hiller UH-12E registered N40289, operated by Paul Legris, was involved in an accident near La Porte, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. 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 20:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- La Porte, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- La Porte Municipal (T41)
- Coordinates
- 29.6714, -95.0736
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E
- Registration
- N40289
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Paul Legris
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Flight Test
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Porte → La Porte
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN08LA071
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Contributing factors were the sudden windshift to a tailwind, and the pilot initiating a hovering turn in ground effect.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was test flying the helicopter after maintenance. He did two "quick stop" maneuvers into the wind. After completing the quick stop maneuver, and while in a 5-foot hover, he initiated a slow pedal turn to the left to return to the hangar. As he began the turn, he noticed "a loss of control effectiveness" and he attempted to set the helicopter down. Before he could regain control, the helicopter "slammed" into the ground. The pilot said it had begun to rain, and after he exited the helicopter, he noticed the wind sock had shifted 180 degrees. The tail boom was severed and the main rotor blades were destroyed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hiller UH-12E accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug 2008 | Hiller UH-12E | Cokato, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2008 | Hiller UH-12E | Powder River, Wyoming, United States | Wyoming Air Corp | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Apr 2008 | Hiller UH-12E | Quinton, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2008 | Hiller UH-12E | Naruna, Virginia, United States | Summit Helicopters Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 2009 | Hiller UH-12E | Stringtown, Oklahoma, United States | Texas Air Cargo, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 2007 | Hiller UH-12E | Yuma, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 2008 | Marshall James J COZY MK IV | Midlothian, Texas, United States | Marshall James J | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Mar 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States | Kent Leighton | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Micco MAC-145B | Arcola, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2008 | British Aircraft Corp (Bac) JET PROVOST T MK.5A | Bay City, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2008 | Piper PA-38-112 | Taylor, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2008 | Robinson R22 | Rosharon, Texas, United States | William T. Skinner | No injuries | - |