Hiller UH-12E accident near Blythe, California, July 13, 2001
On July 13, 2001 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N9281P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blythe, California. 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 selection by the pilot of an unsuitable precautionary landing site on soft, uneven terrain, which resulted in a rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2001 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Blythe, California · 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
- N9281P · no longer on the register · serial 5219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a chemical application pass, the pilot of the aerial application helicopter sensed a decrease in engine power and elected to make a precautionary landing. During the landing in a cotton field on irregular, wet ground, the right skid settled into the soil and the helicopter rolled onto its right side. In his subsequent report to the Safety Board, in the section entitled "Mechanical Malfunction Failure," the pilot checked "no."
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,403 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 29, 2001; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Blythe CA at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from BLH
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 N9281P 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.