Hiller UH-12A accident near Bethlehem, GA
On February 24, 2007, a Hiller UH-12A (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Bethlehem, GA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 24, 2007
- Place
- Bethlehem, GA
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12A · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.757°N, 83.652°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070226X00225
NTSB summary
On February 24, 2007, about 1508 eastern standard time, a Hiller UH-12A helicopter, N8180H, collided with the ground during takeoff from a private enclosed landing site, in Bethlehem, Georgia. The two pilots on board the helicopter, a commercial helicopter pilot, and a passenger, who was a certificated private helicopter pilot, were killed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage by impact forces. The flight was operated as an instructional flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual Meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. According to one witness, the helicopter was on its sixth takeoff. The witness stated that during the accident takeoff "the rotor sound which was normally loud seemed to subside. The engine did not sound as though it was turning as high a revolution per minute (RPM) as it usually did when you heard the helicopter after he cleared the trees. A brief moment later it sounded as though the engine stopped running and at the same time you could hear what sounded like tree limbs breaking and then a heavy thud." Another witness in the local area and a friend of the private pilot, who also owns a UH-12 helicopter, stated that he had advised the private pilot not to attempt a takeoff without clearing woods several hundred more feet from his landing site. He stated that about a week before the accident the private pilot had topped several trees, which would allow the helicopter to clear the first two hundred feet. However, the witness stated that this still presented an ex
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm, which resulted in an attempted autorotation and in-flight collision with trees. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the pilot exceeding the helicopters takeoff capability.
More accidents in GA
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Browse: Georgia · Hiller aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
