- Date
- December 2, 1992, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Justin, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1048PHiller UH12B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921202048999A
- Case key
- 18625
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
Failure of the main rotor system for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain at the pilot's disposal.
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 pilot reported that the helicopter developed a severe vertical vibration while on his turn to final approach while on a test flight for completion of an annual inspection. The pilot elected to make an immediate precautionary landing to an open field short of his intended landing point. While on an exaggerated flare to avoid impacting large bales of hay, the tail rotor struck the ground and the main rotor blades impacted the tailboom. The left landing gear skid folded prior to the helicopter coming to a stop. The source of the vertical vibration was not identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1048P
- Reported as
- Hiller UH12B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 635
- Engine
- Franklin VO-335-B, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clark, Landis E., doing business as Clark'S Aircraft Sales
- Registered owner
- Clark, Landis E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 3TX6
- Destination
- 3TX6
- Airport
- 3TX6 · Clark'S Airport, runway 35, 1,800 × 22 ft, asphalt
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
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 10,822 total · 15 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AFW, 10 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 N1048P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.