- Date
- July 30, 1988, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Buffalo Lake, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N173HAHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880730028379A
- Case key
- 13891
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
When the helicopter lifted off, the left tail rotor cable separated. Directional control was lost and the aircraft collided with the terrain. The pilot reported no injuries, however the helicopter sustained substantial damage. An inspection of the left tail rotor cable revealed a separation 67 inches aft of the forward clevis in an area of a pulley under the engine. An inspection of the right tail rotor cable disclosed wear and fraying at the similar location.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N173HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- HA-3073
- Airframe hours
- 2,839
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Emerald Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 1988 · 249 hours before
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,565 total · 3,258 in this make and model · 7,414 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNM, 65 nm away
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 N173HA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.