Hiller UH-12E accident near Tolleson, Arizona, May 19, 1987
On May 19, 1987 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N4034T, was destroyed in an accident near Tolleson, Arizona. 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
- May 19, 1987 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tolleson, Arizona · 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
- N4034T · no longer on the register · serial 5190
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HE LANDED THE ACFT ON A PLATFORM ON TOP OF A CHEMICAL TANK TRUCK. THE TRUCK WAS PARKED ON A SLIGHT SLOPE WITH ITS LEFT SIDE SIX INCHES LOWER THAN THE RIGHT. THE PLT REDUCED POWER TO IDLE AND THE LOADER BEGAN TO LOAD THE HELICOPTER WITH LIQUID CHEMICAL. THE HELICOPTER'S TAIL BEGAN TO DROP AND BEFORE THE PLT COULD INCREASE POWER TO RESUME FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER FELL OFF THE PLATFORM (A HEIGHT OF 12 FEET) AND WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 22,100 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 22,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1987; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 17,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.