Hiller UH-12E incident near Broomfield, Colorado, April 17, 1985
On April 17, 1985 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N7411N, suffered minor damage in an incident near Broomfield, Colorado (Jeffco 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 incident. 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
- April 17, 1985 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · Jeffco · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E · all UH-12Es on the register
- Registration
- N7411N · no longer on the register · serial 2110
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT WAS TAKING FAA CHECKRIDE FOR ATP-ROTOCRAFT. EXAMINER REQUESTED AUTOROTATION DEMONSTRATION WITH POWER RECOVERY DUE TO HIGH GUSTY WINDS. PILOT SAID AUTOROTATION WAS NORMAL UNTIL 75-100 FT AGL WHEN RATE OF DESCENT BECAME EXCESSIVE. PILOT SAID BEFORE HE COULD REACT, HELICOPTER STRUCK GROUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,738 hours in all; 312 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 2,491 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,739 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 11, 1985; 92 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 20, 3,601 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from BJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N7411N 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.