Bell UH1H accident near Ruthi, Ch, December 20, 2012
On December 20, 2012 at about 3:23 pm local time, a Bell UH1H, registered HBRXC, was destroyed in an accident near Ruthi. It was a personal flight under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2012 · about 3:23 pm local time
- Place
- Ruthi, Switzerland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell UH1H NO SERIES · all UH1Hs on the register
- Registration
- HBRXC · no longer on the register · serial 4732
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 20, 2012, at 1523 UTC, a Bell UH-1H, Swiss registration HB-RXC, owned and operated by a private individual, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Ruthi, Switzerland, following an engine malfunction. The pilot and two passengers on board were not injured. A third passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The foreign, non-scheduled cross-country flight departed Buchs, Switzerland, and was en route to St-Gallen-Altenrhein, Switzerland. The helicopter's T53-L-13B engine was examined under the oversight of the National Transportation Safety Board at Honeywell Aerospace, Incorporated, Phoenix, Arizona, on May 21-22, 2013. This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Switzerland. Any further information regarding the investigation can be obtained from the Swiss Accident Investigation Board at: Swiss Accident Investigation Board Aviation Division Aeropole 1, Route de Morens, 1530 Payerne Switzerland Telephone: +41 26 662 33 33 Facsimile: +41 26 662 33 01 E-mail: info@sust.admin.ch
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.