- Date
- May 4, 1988, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Winters, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N62391Hiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880504012719A
- Case key
- 25766
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 pilot was taking off from a loading truck for his 16th aerial application. He reduced the load from 90 to 70 gals because the winds had become variable. The helicopter descended into ground effect where it normally attains translational lift. The helicopter collided with the terrain and was destroyed in the post impact fire. The pilot stated that he could not stop the descent with full power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62391
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1134
- Airframe hours
- 3,745
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Pingrey Bros.
- Registered owner
- Frank L. Lang
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 22, 1988 · 50 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,342 total · 1,436 in this make and model · 9,125 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 39 °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.