- Date
- August 9, 1990, 09:43 local (16:43 UTC)
- Place
- Los Banos, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N117HAHiller UH-12-E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900809031769A
- Case key
- 26562
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
The pilot's failure to maintain a lookout for obstructions along his swath run.
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 of a UH12E hiller helicopter, that was engaged in aerial application of liquid chimicals, collided with a telephone residential service line while making his last pass. He stated that he failed to see a wire leading to the house during his initial reconnaissance flight. The aircraft impacted the ground after contacting the wire and collided with the ground. A postcrash fire destroyed the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N117HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12-E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- HA3017
- Airframe hours
- 5,200
- Engine
- Lycoming VO540, 304 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Patterson Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Patterson Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 18, 1990 · 35 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 17,631 total · 4,300 in this make and model · 17,441 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 98 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 59 °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 N117HA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.