Pilot Debrief

HILLER UH12 near Sarasota, FL — 2010-05-09

Final reportERA10CA262
Sign in to save
Date
2010-05-09
Location
Sarasota, FL, USA
Aircraft
HILLER UH12
Registration
N116S
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed remedial action to maintain main rotor rpm, which resulted in a loss of lift and hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner of the helicopter stated that while in cruise flight, he let his rotor rpm decay due to inattention and "complacency." He decided he could not recover the rotor rpm "quickly enough" and performed an autorotation to a pasture. The pilot leveled the helicopter about 8 feet above the ground where it "lost lift [and] dropped straight down." At ground contact, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

Related mishaps