- Date
- July 5, 1985, 07:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gonzales, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N161HAHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850705029529A
- Case key
- 24763
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
While cruising during an ag flight the acft's eng began losing pwr. At the time the acft was about 50 ft AGL & was travelling at 50 mph. The plt made a forced ldg onto a nearby plowed fld. Upon touchdown the rt skid dug into a furrow & the acft rolled over. Exam of the acft revealed that an air leak had developed at the fuel feed line inlet to the electric boost pump. The connector inlet bushing being used was not found to be of 'acft quality,' & its condition was observed to be rusted, putted & rough. The individual(s) responsible for originally placing the unauthorized part in service could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N161HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- HA-3061
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 305 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Verticare
- Registered owner
- Coalinga Commuter & Cargo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- Gonzales, CA
- Destination
- Salinas, CA
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °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 N161HA · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.