Hiller UH-12E accident near Applegate, Oregon, March 16, 1993
On March 16, 1993 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N5344V, was destroyed in an accident near Applegate, Oregon. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT INITIATING FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER. FACTORS WERE: LOW CEILING, FOG, AND TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1993 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Applegate, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E · all UH-12Es on the register
- Registration
- N5344V · registry record · serial 2018
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER LANDED ON A MOUNTAINSIDE HELIPAD WHERE TWO PASSENGERS WERE WAITING. THE PILOT OF A SIKORSKY S 61 HELICOPTER FLYING NEARBY CAUTIONED HIM ABOUT CLOUDS MOVING UP THE VALLEY. HE ALSO NOTED IT WAS QUITE WINDY AND TURBULENT. THE PILOT REPLIED HE WAS AWARE OF THE APPROACHING CLOUDS AND THAT IT WAS BAD. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE SIKORSKY PILOT HEARD THE HILLER PILOT SAY, I LOST IT. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND ONE PADDLE WERE FOUND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE HELICOPTER; THE OTHER PADDLE WAS LOCATED 300 FEET AWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD DISCLOSED DAMAGE BETWEEN THE HUB STATIC STOPS AND THE MAIN ROTOR MAST. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURED SURFACES INDICATED ALL THE BREAKS WERE THE RESULT OF OVERLOAD FORCES.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,304 hours in all; 114 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,173 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,750 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 1993; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Croman Corporation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.