- Date
- April 4, 1988, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- La Salle, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4029DHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880404007519A
- Case key
- 22474
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
Acft was substantially damaged during an emergency autorotation following an engine failure while the acft was completing an aerial application maneuver. Acft touched down tail low and the main rotor blades flexed down and cut off the tail boom. Investigation revealed water in the carb bowl, the acft fuel tank and the refueling vehicle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4029D
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5098
- Airframe hours
- 1,560
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C-2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Glenn Bud Herring
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 30, 1987 · 48 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
- 59
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 25,400 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 25,000 as pilot in command · 78 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N4029D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.