Hiller UH-12A accident near Mosby, Missouri, August 27, 2023
On August 27, 2023 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1950 Hiller UH-12A (helicopter), registered N8178H, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Mosby, Missouri (Midwest National Air Center Ai airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2023 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Mosby, Missouri · Midwest National Air Center Ai · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12A, built 1950 · all UH-12As on the register
- Registration
- N8178H · registry record · serial 178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a hover taxi, he inadvertently allowed the engine rpm to decrease. He increased the throttle, but the helicopter landed hard on its skids in the grass and the tail rotor impacted the ground. The ground strike resulted in substantial damage to the tail rotor blades and tailboom assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot noted that a better scan of the engine instruments could have prevented the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Ground collision during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Powerplant parameters › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 509 hours in all; 21.8 in this make and model; 23.5 in the last 90 days; 0.7 in the last 30 days; 242.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 5, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18/3, 5,502 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,100 ft; scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KGPH
Weather report (METAR): KGPH 272315Z AUTO 04007KT 10SM SCT047 SCT055 25/13 A3001 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Tailboom ground strike
Photograph 2 – tail rotor blades deformed
Photograph 3 – Deformation noted to the tailboomThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 21, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8178H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hiller UH-12 217 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hiller 242 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Franklin 6V-335 SERIES 29 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Midwest Ntl Air Center Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,823 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA383.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.