Hiller UH-12E accident near Winters, California, May 4, 1988
On May 4, 1988 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N62391, was destroyed in an accident near Winters, 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
- May 4, 1988 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Winters, 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
- N62391 · no longer on the register · serial 1134
- 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 WAS TAKING OFF FROM A LOADING TRUCK FOR HIS 16TH AERIAL APPLICATION. HE REDUCED THE LOAD FROM 90 TO 70 GALS BECAUSE THE WINDS HAD BECOME VARIABLE. THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED INTO GROUND EFFECT WHERE IT NORMALLY ATTAINS TRANSLATIONAL LIFT. THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN AND WAS DESTROYED IN THE POST IMPACT FIRE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE COULD NOT STOP THE DESCENT WITH FULL POWER.
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: 9,342 hours in all; 1,436 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 9,125 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,745 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 22, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 39°F (4°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.