- Date
- May 13, 1989, 07:48 local (13:48 UTC)
- Place
- Mack, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5594NHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890513011389A
- Case key
- 17560
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude during a swath run.
Analysis
The pilot stated that during a swath run he let the helicopter get too low and the skids contacted the alfalfa crop followed by the spray apparatus. The pilot was unable to gain altitude and the helicopter continued to descend into the ground and rolled over. An eye-witnesses concurred with the pilot's statement but declined to give a written statement.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5594N
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1453
- Airframe hours
- 4,313
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Garlitz And Serve, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 22, 1989 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- Mack, 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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 298 total · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT, 20 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 N5594N · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.