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| Date: | Saturday 13 November 1993 |
| Time: | 11:40 LT |
| Type: |  Hiller UH-12E |
| Owner/operator: | Helicair Ag, Inc. |
| Registration: | N149HA |
| MSN: | N3049 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5556 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-540-C2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Salinas, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | (KSNS) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER WHILE EXECUTING A MANEUVERING TURN WHILE LOADED WITH CHEMICAL AT ABOUT 35 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD PADDLE ASSEMBLY FRACTURED AND SEPARATED BEFORE THE LOSS OF CONTROL. METALLURGIC EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE REVEALED AN OVERLOAD FAILURE MODE.
Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE HELICOPTER WHICH RESULTED IN OVERLOADING OF THE ROTOR SYSTEM IN A MANEUVERING TURN DURING AERIAL APPLICATION OF CHEMICAL, AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE MAIN ROTOR PADDLE ASSEMBLY.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX94LA043
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 10-Apr-2024 10:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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