Hiller UH-12E accident near Orcutt, California, July 15, 1984
On July 15, 1984 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N4030A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orcutt, California. 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 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
- July 15, 1984 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Orcutt, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- 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
- N4030A · registry record · serial 5147
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
MAINTENANCE HAD JUST BEEN PERFORMED & THE CREW WERE BEGINNING A TEST FLT TO CHECK THE TRACKING OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. WHILE THE PLT WAS HOVER TAXIING, HE LOST COLLECTIVE CONTROL & ROTOR RPM DECREASED. HOWEVER, HE WAS ABLE TO MAKE A ROLL-ON LANDING, BUT THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER & WAS DAMAGED. AN EXAM OF THE LOWER COLLECTIVE CENTER CONTROL HOUSING DISCLOSED THAT THE TERMINAL PIN WAS PLACED THRU THE OUTER HOUSING, BUT WAS INSTALLED BENEATH THE TERMINAL TEE RATHER THAN THRU THE TEE. THE MANUAL EMPHASIZES THAT THE PIN MUST PASS THRU THE TERMINAL TEE. THE MANUAL HAD NO PROVISIONS TO ASCERTAIN THAT THE PIN HAD BEEN INSTALLED THRU THE TERMINAL TEE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 7,900 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,602 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 1984; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-02 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: San Francisco & Fesno Land CO
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 335° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N4030A 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.