- Date
- May 24, 1983, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Troy, KS
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3GKHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830524020749A
- Case key
- 33331
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 acft collided with a powerline while the pilot was locating a field to spray at a later date. The pilot saw telephone lines and flew over them but hit the powerlines which were 20 feet higher. The skids caught the wires and the helicopter nosed down, dragging the lines 110 feet beyond the wire impact. The pilot managed to free himself before the fire consumed the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3GK
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1154
- Airframe hours
- 8,878
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Valley Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 27, 1983 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- Highland, KS
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, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,067 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 25 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.