Hiller UH12E accident near Kekaha, Hawaii, September 9, 2003
On September 9, 2003 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Hiller UH12E (helicopter), registered N9792C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kekaha, Hawaii. 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's failure to maintain clearance with the wires due to an inadequate visual lookout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 2003 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kekaha, Hawaii · 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
- N9792C · no longer on the register · serial 2277
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter collided with power lines during aerial application operations. The pilot was returning to the service truck for another load [of chemicals]. At the top of a ridge, approximately 500 feet mean sea level, there were two power lines of which he was unaware. During a descent at 60 knots, the helicopter impacted the top wire "about the middle of the bubble." As a result, it pitched forward and the main rotor blade cut the wire and tail boom off in sequence. The helicopter began spinning to the right and the pilot performed an autorotation.
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: 10,516 hours in all; 1,077 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO 540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Polihale HI at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PHLI
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.
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.