Hiller 12B accident near Detroit, Michigan, September 2, 1982
On September 2, 1982 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Hiller 12B (helicopter), registered N48209, was substantially damaged in an accident near Detroit, Michigan (Detroit City airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- September 2, 1982 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · Detroit City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller 12B
- Registration
- N48209 · no longer on the register · serial 508
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ENTERED THE DETROIT CITY ARPT AREA FROM THE WEST WITH WINDS FROM 280 DEGREES AT 18K GUSTING TO 23K. AT 150-175 FT AGL THE PLT ADDED POWER IN ORDER TO REDUCE HIS CLOSURE RATE, TRAVELING SOUTHEASTERLY AT THE TIME. THE ACFT THEN STARTED YAWING TO THE RIGHT. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE YAW WITH LEFT PEDAL DISPLACEMENT. HE STATED THAT THE ROTOR RPM DECAYED WITH FULL THROTTLE. THE COLLECTIVE WAS LOWERED & AT 5 FT THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL THE ACFT, HOWEVER THE ACFT LANDED TAIL LOW.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,441 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 7,035 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,178 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 210 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: New Hudson MI at 4:40 pm
- Destination: Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N48209 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.