- Date
- May 28, 1987, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Shelton, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N28875Hiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870528079719A
- Case key
- 40521
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 properly certificated for the flight; however, due to operator insurance restrictions, all prior commercial flights had required the owner/operator to accompany this pilot, therefore this was the pilot's first commercial flight as sole pilot. Returning to base after a round-trip passenger flight, having disembarked passengers, the aircraft was observed proceeding at high forward speed in strong but intermittent wind conditions. Also, passengers remarked about turbulence along this same route of flight earlier. Investigation revealed the main rotor separated in flight due to mast bumping, a phenomenon associated with teetering rotor systems, induced by exceeding the normal flight envelope for the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28875
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2143
- Airframe hours
- 12,094
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Olympic Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Olympic Air, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 25, 1987 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- S42 · Silverdale, WA
- Destination
- SHN · Shelton, WA
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 930 total · 123 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- 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 N28875 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.