- Date
- November 29, 1986, 17:08 local (22:08 UTC)
- Place
- Capac, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N48209Hiller UH-12B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861129069389A
- Case key
- 13709
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Ten minutes after takeoff and just prior to letdown from 350 feet AGL a main rotor blade drag strut failed due to progressive fatigue through a threaded portion of the strut. Only partial control of the helicopter was possible after the failure. The pilot lost control of the aircraft at one point, but regained control in time to perform a hard, sliding landing in a field. Substantial damage occurred. The entire sequence of events took place in 10-15 seconds. The plt had a private cert for fixed wing and a student cert for rotorcraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48209
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 508
- Airframe hours
- 5,229
- Engine
- Franklin 6V3355D, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mark W. Smith
- Registered owner
- Mark W. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 22, 1986 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- D95 · Lapeer, MI
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 208 total · 23 in this make and model · 146 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N48209 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.