Hiller UH12ET accident near Yuma, Arizona, September 25, 1984
On September 25, 1984 at about 1:01 pm local time, a Hiller UH12ET (helicopter), registered N9278Z, was destroyed in an accident near Yuma, Arizona. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 25, 1984 · about 1:01 pm local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH12ET · all UH12ETs on the register
- Registration
- N9278Z · no longer on the register · serial 1819
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS CARRYING A LOAD OF PESTICIDE FOR APPLICATION ON A BROCCOLI FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN LEVEL FLIGHT, APPROXIMATELY 4 TO 8 FEET AGL WHEN IT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSUMED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE TWO MAIN ROTOR BLADES HAD SEPARATED IN-FLIGHT. EXAMINATION OF THE SEPARATED ROTOR BLADE REVEALED A FATIGUE TYPE FRACTURE OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE SPAR TUBE THROUGH THE OUTBOARD RETENTION BOLT HOLES. THE FAILED MAIN ROTOR BLADE SPAR BORE EVIDENCE OF CORROSION. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE CUFF WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE THAT ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT LOGBOOKS HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH AS REQUIRED. THE LAST THREE LOGBOOK NOTATIONS, DOCUMENTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AD, WERE ENTERED AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,428 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 6,428 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,376 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 29, 1984; 304 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Yuma AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from YUM, 8 miles away
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.