- Date
- December 16, 1983, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Imperial, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N63MCHiller UH-12C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831216061559A
- Case key
- 21236
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 plt reported that when he was in cruise flt at 300 ft AGL, a sudden violent shudder went thru the whole helicopter, then the shudder stopped. He noted no change in the flit characteristics or eng power. The plt elected to make a precautionary landing by flying directly to the ground with no hover. During the landing, the tail boom struck the ground, then the main rotor blades struck the tail boom. No cause for the 'shudder' was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63MC
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 915
- Airframe hours
- 2,941
- Engine
- Franklin 6V4-200-C33, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James R. Blair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 25, 1983
- Departed
- Fort Stockton, TX
- Destination
- MAF · Midland, TX
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,997 total · 26 in this make and model · 4,997 as pilot in command · 132 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °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 N63MC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.