- Date
- June 25, 1990, 19:00 local (Jun 26, 1990, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Watson, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N62397Hiller 12-E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900625022739A
- Case key
- 35008
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
Pilot misjudged his flare and collided with the terrain.
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 commercial helicopter pilot said that he had just started an aerial application operation, and after clearing the wires and trees descended into the field to be sprayed. The acft failed to round out, struck the terrain, bounced, hit the ground again, then collided with trees, going backwards. The air temperature was 87 degrees, and the aircraft had just been loaded.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62397
- Reported as
- Hiller 12-E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1192
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Bonanza Valley Ave.
- Departed
- MVE · Monte Video, MN
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 2,200 in this make and model · 5,256 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point -0 °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 N62397 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.