Hiller UH12E accident near Sioux Rapids, Iowa, October 22, 1993
On October 22, 1993 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH12E (helicopter), registered N4026S, was destroyed in an accident near Sioux Rapids, Iowa. 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 Pilot in Command failed to maintain clearance with the terrain while proceeding up an upslope.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1993 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sioux Rapids, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH12E · all UH12Es on the register
- Registration
- N4026S · no longer on the register · serial 5055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS SPRAYING A PASTURE WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. DURING THE FORCED LANDING, THE LEFT SKID MADE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND STRUCK THE GROUND. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION DID NOT FIND ANY REASON FOR THE ENGINE POWER LOSS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,875 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 13,540 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,547 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1993; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540 C2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Webb IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N4026S 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.