Hiller UH-12E accident near Near Vacaville, California, January 8, 1983
On January 8, 1983, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N4027D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Vacaville, 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- January 8, 1983
- Place
- Near Vacaville, 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
- N4027D · registry record · serial 5072
- 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 AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A TELEPHONE WIRE DURING TAKEOFF. THE PILOT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON THE SOFT BANK OF A LEVEE TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND LEFT THE ROTOR AT IDLE. THE LEVEE BANK GAVE WAY AND THE HELICOPTER SLID INTO THE DITCH WHERE THE ROTOR BLADES HIT THE GROUND. THE PILOT SAID HE SHOULD NOT HAVE WORKED SO CLOSE TO THE WIRES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,080 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 5,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 600 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1982; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; ovct at 700 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N4027D 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.