Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 accident near Valparaiso, Indiana, August 19, 2000
On August 19, 2000 at about 6:24 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 (helicopter), registered N250AD, was destroyed in an accident near Valparaiso, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight fracture of the main rotor mast and the separation of the main rotor. Factors to the accident were the corroded main rotor mast that resulted in fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2000 · about 6:24 pm local time
- Place
- Valparaiso, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 · all FH-1100s on the register
- Registration
- N250AD · registry record · serial 162
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight the main rotor mast fractured and the main rotor separated from the helicopter. Witnesses to the accident reported seeing the helicopter falling to the ground in multiple sections. The aft 7.5 feet of tailboom, including the tail rotor gearbox, was located 220 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor hub and blades were located 146 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor blades remained attached to the rotor hub assembly. The main rotor mast was fractured approximately 6 inches below the rotor hub assembly. The fracture was transverse to the longitudinal direction of the mast. The interior diameter of the main rotor mast was corroded and had several areas of surface pitting. According to the NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report, the main rotor mast contained a "flat" crack that contained crack arrest features indicative of fatigue cracking. The report states, "The crack arrest features in the flat fracture region emanated from corrosion pits on the inside diameter surface of the mast. The entire inside diameter surface had been affected by this corrosion in the area of the flat fracture region."
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,585 hours in all; 21 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 886 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 13, 1998
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,624.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2000; 31.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VPZ Valparaiso IN at 6:20 pm
- Destination: Valparaiso IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from VPZ, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI00FA266.