- Date
- June 27, 1984, 07:05 local (14:05 UTC)
- Place
- Yuba City, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N530HAHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840627027759A
- Case key
- 24327
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
After dispensing 8 loads, the plt refueled & took off with the 9th load. About 4 to 6 seconds into the flt, while approaching transitional lift at aprx 6 ft AGL, the helicopter began a vibration & immediately lost rotor RPM. The plt initiated a landing straight ahead, but the helicopter yawed to the left & touched down level in a crabbed-to-the-left attitude. The right skid collapsed & the helicopter rolled the the right. The main rotor struck the ground, then severed the tail boom & a 5 inch drive line. The plt suspected a vapor lock problem. He had shut off the fuel pump during the refueling & did not remember turning it back on. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N530HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5030
- Airframe hours
- 1,657
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Pingrey Brothers, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 31, 1984 · 55 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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 27,402 total · 1,980 in this make and model · 26,050 as pilot in command · 320 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.