Hiller 12E accident near Palisade, Minnesota, August 10, 1982
On August 10, 1982 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Hiller 12E (helicopter), registered N5594N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palisade, Minnesota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 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
- August 10, 1982 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palisade, Minnesota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller 12E
- Registration
- N5594N · no longer on the register · serial 1453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT LOST POWER, PILOT AUTOROTATED AT 20 FEET AGL. MADE HARD FORCED LANDING AND AIRCRAFT ROLLED OVER. PISTON ROD FAILED BECAUSE CAP BOLT WAS UNDERTORQUED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 675 hours in all; 195 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 417 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,014 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dagnon Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Palisade MN
- Destination: Palisade MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N5594N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.