- Date
- June 11, 1984, 07:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Granby, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N504HAHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840611025369A
- Case key
- 16398
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
The helicopter plt was on a reconnaissance flt to survey a hilltop landing site in mountainous terrain. When he arrived, he made a high reconnaissance pass, then began a low reconnaissance apch. He estimated the wind was from 210 deg at 10 to 15 KTS with light turbulence. His apch was made on a heading of 200 deg. He began his apch at aprx 40 KTS & with a descent rate of 200 ft/min. When the helicopter was about 150 ft from the hilltop & aprx 50 ft above it, the airspeed dropped to zero & the rate of descent increased. The plt applied full power & turned down a valley to the right, but could not stop the descent. The helicopter then hit a tree, touched down on sloping terrain & rolled over. The elevation & density alt were about 9200 & 10,040 ft, respectively. The helicopter's hover ceiling out of ground effect was about 8500 ft; in ground effect, the hover ceiling was aprx 11,800 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N504HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Airframe hours
- 1,700
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hoffman Pilot Center, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 23, 1984 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- Granby, CO
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,100 total · 150 in this make and model · 3,350 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.