19941119038589A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Hiller FH-1100 · Yamhill, OR · November 19, 1994

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: November 19, 1994 · 13:25 local
Place: Yamhill, OR
Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator: FELL
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N4258U
Reported as: Hiller FH1100
Reported engine: Allison 250C18
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,100 total115 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N4258URegistration cancelled Jun 7, 2013 · Fairchild Hiller FH-1100S/N 58 Airframe modelFairchild Hiller FH-1100

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Christmas tree operation. Pilot had just dropped a bundle of trees and was going back up a small hill to grab another bundle when the hook on the cable snagged the ground and the released. The hook was slingshot into the main rotor blade which broke off approximately three feet of one main rotor. The aircraft impacted the ground nose first and was destroyed. The pilot suffered a broken left femur and severe lacerations to the face.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) CHRISTMAS TREE OPERATION. PILOT HAD JUST DROPPED A BUNDLE OF TREES AND WAS GOING BACK UP A SMALL HILL TO GRAB ANOTHER BUNDLE WHEN THE HOOK ON THE CABLE SNAGGED THE GROUND AND THE RELEASED. THE HOOK WAS SLINGSHOT INTO THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE WHICH BROKE OFF APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OF ONE MAIN ROTOR. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE FIRST AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT SUFFERED A BROKEN LEFT FEMUR AND SEVERE LACERATIONS TO THE FACE.