Hiller UH-12E accident near Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, July 18, 1983
On July 18, 1983 at about 11:23 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N120NR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brooklyn Park, 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
- July 18, 1983 · about 11:23 pm local time
- Place
- Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E · all UH-12Es on the register
- Registration
- N120NR · no longer on the register · serial 1723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE WAS SPRAYING THE END ROWS OF A FIELD WHEN THE HELICOPTER APPROACHED SOME WIRES. HE STATED THAT HE SAW THE WIRES AT THE LAST SECOND & TRIED TO GET UNDER THEM. REPORTEDLY, THE HELICOPTER CROSSED BELOW A SET OF POWER LINES, BUT STRUCK A TELEPHONE LINE. THE PLT INITIATED A LANDING; HOWEVER, THE WIRE BECAME 'FOULED IN THE CONTROLS' MAKING CONTROL DIFFICULT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN A LITTLE TOO FAST, BOUNCED TWICE & ROLLED OVER.
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: 4,186 hours in all; 663 in this make and model; 227 in the last 90 days; 3,793 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 1983; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Brooklyn Park MN at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- 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.
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.