19980814020869A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Hiller FH-1100 · Dewitt, MI · August 14, 1998

Date: August 14, 1998 · 16:20 local
Place: Dewitt, MI
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N8171U
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI98FA313
Reported as: Hiller FH1100
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1

N8171URegistration cancelled Mar 24, 2017 · Fairchild Hiller FH-1100S/N 254 · Built 1962 Airframe modelFairchild Hiller FH-1100 Engine modelAllison 250 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances, pilot suffered fatal inj. (-23) during cruise flight one tail rotor blade separated form its hub, followed by the other tail rotor balde, lft horizontal stabilizer, main rotor blade cut through tail boom & cabin, & rotor mast separated below teetering stops, cabin section impacted semi-inverted in a field. Pilot was thrown from wreckage during flight and received fatal injuries.

As the FAA filed it

HELICOPTER CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ. (-23) DURING CRUISE FLIGHT ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE SEPARATED FORM ITS HUB, FOLLOWED BY THE OTHER TAIL ROTOR BALDE, LFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, MAIN ROTOR BLADE CUT THROUGH TAIL BOOM & CABIN, & ROTOR MAST SEPARATED BELOW TEETERING STOPS, CABIN SECTION IMPACTED SEMI-INVERTED IN A FIELD. PILOT WAS THROWN FROM WRECKAGE DURING FLIGHT AND RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI98FA313Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportDewitt, MIThe rotor failure/malfunction due to debonding of the tail rotor blade. Also causal was the inadequate maintenance inspection of the aircraft by the company and the improper maintenance procedure by other maintenance personnel.Aug 14, 1998 · Destroyed