Hiller UH-12E accident near Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, July 30, 1988
On July 30, 1988 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N173HA, was destroyed in an accident near Buffalo Lake, 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 30, 1988 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo Lake, Minnesota · map
- 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
- N173HA · no longer on the register · serial HA-3073
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN THE HELICOPTER LIFTED OFF, THE LEFT TAIL ROTOR CABLE SEPARATED. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST AND THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES, HOWEVER THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. AN INSPECTION OF THE LEFT TAIL ROTOR CABLE REVEALED A SEPARATION 67 INCHES AFT OF THE FORWARD CLEVIS IN AN AREA OF A PULLEY UNDER THE ENGINE. AN INSPECTION OF THE RIGHT TAIL ROTOR CABLE DISCLOSED WEAR AND FRAYING AT THE SIMILAR LOCATION.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,565 hours in all; 3,258 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 7,414 as pilot in command; 764 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,839 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1988; 249 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from PNM, 65 miles away
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 N173HA 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.