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June 29, 2013 · Hiller UH-12A · N6331D

Florence, AL

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
June 29, 2013
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 serious injury)
Location
Florence, AL
Aircraft
Hiller UH-12A
Tail Number
N6331D
Operator
River Cleaning
Injuries
Serious
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ERA13LA308

The student pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on a trailer in order to transport it to another location. A witness reported that, while the helicopter was hovering above the trailer, it started to drift backwards. Subsequently, the nose of the helicopter rose, the tail struck the ground, the helicopter rolled to the right, the main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on the right side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter while landing, which resulted in a tail rotor ground strike and collision with terrain.

Full Narrative

On June 29, 2013, about 1130 central daylight time, a Hiller UH-12A, N6331D, impacted terrain during an attempted landing on a tow trailer near Florence, Alabama. The student pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter was registered to River Cleaning Inc., and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from a parking area in the vicinity of the tow trailer just prior to the accident.According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who conducted an interview with an eyewitness, the student pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on the trailer in order to transport it to another location. He stated that the helicopter was hovering above the trailer when it started to drift backward. As the helicopter moved back, the nose of the helicopter started to rise and the tail subsequently struck the ground. The helicopter then rolled to the right, the main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on the right side of the fuselage, which resulted in substantial damage. According to the FAA inspector, numerous attempts to interview the pilot were unsuccessful as the pilot has no recollection of the events surrounding the accident and that the pilot's flight experience was about 38 total flight hours. Examination of the helicopter at the accident location revealed that it had come to rest on its right side in the immediate vicinity of the trailer. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades, skids, and fuselage. No mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities were noted that would have precluded normal operation.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:30 CDT
Nearest Airport0nm
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftHiller UH-12A
Tail NumberN6331D
Aircraft CategoryHeli
DamageSubstantial
OperatorRiver Cleaning
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsFranklin · 6V4 SERIES · Reciprocating · 210
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 serious injury)
Fatal0
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 58 · Third Class · Serious

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind320° @ 9 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point63 F
Altimeter29.76 inHg
Observation Time15:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data