- Date
- October 20, 1996, 16:40 local (23:40 UTC)
- Place
- Detroit, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N98NWGarlick UH-1H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 21, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961020047659A
- Case key
- 42699
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 misjudgement of rotor clearance from the terrain. The proximity of the berm was a related factor.
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 stated that he had just landed at a remote site after emptying his bucket. As he unloaded the main rotor, it contacted a berm on the right side of the helicopter. This resulted in a sudden stoppage and damage to the transmission.
Factual narrative
On October 20, 1996, approximately 1640 Pacific daylight time, a Garlick UH-1H helicopter, N98NW, sustained substantial damage when the main rotor collided with terrain during landing near Detroit Lake, Detroit, Oregon. The airline transport pilot received minor injuries. The helicopter was being operated by the US Forest Service, and was being used to spread fertilizer on the Willamette National Forest. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted in visual meteorological conditions as a public use activity. There was no report of the ELT actuating, and the pilot turned it off after the accident.
The pilot stated that he had just landed after emptying his bucket. As he unloaded the rotor, the main rotor contacted a berm on the right side of the helicopter, causing sudden stoppage and separation of the transmission, and additional damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98NW
- Reported as
- Garlick UH-1H
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4529
- Airframe hours
- 12,360
- Engine
- Lycoming T55-L-13B, 1,400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Public use
- Operator
- Usfs
- Registered owner
- Reynolds Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 3, 1996 · 23 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
- 37
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,700 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 5,250 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °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 N98NW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.