- Date
- January 2, 1988, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vernal, UT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N400AHHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880102000119A
- Case key
- 17432
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 commercial plt and two passengers were surveying a road route in mountainous terrain. At cruise, the pilot noticed a drop in manifold pressure, followed by a loss of oil pressure. The plt reported that the engine quit. An autorotation to a snow covered road resulted in a hard landing. The main rotor blades severed the tail boom and the landing skids collapsed. A post accident engine tear down revealed evidence consistent with connecting rod failure. The number five rod bearing had disintegrated and the rod end cap had broken in service. The damaged rod end cap and connecting rod were examined for failure mode determination. The metallurgist's factual report states that the rod shows fracture details characteristics of high cycle fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N400AH
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1177
- Airframe hours
- 6,732
- Engine
- Lycoming TIVO-540-A2A, 315 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ben J. Richards
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1987 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- VEL · Vernal, UT
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,450 total · 5,100 in this make and model · 5,100 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 5 °F
- Observed at
- RKS
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 N400AH · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.