Hiller UH-12E accident near Salinas, California, November 13, 1993
On November 13, 1993 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N149HA, was destroyed in an accident near Salinas, 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 PILOT'S IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE HELICOPTER WHICH RESULTED IN OVERLOADING OF THE ROTOR SYSTEM IN A MANEUVERING TURN DURING AERIAL APPLICATION OF CHEMICAL, AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE MAIN ROTOR PADDLE ASSEMBLY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1993 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Salinas, 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
- N149HA · no longer on the register · serial N3049
- 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 LOST CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER WHILE EXECUTING A MANEUVERING TURN WHILE LOADED WITH CHEMICAL AT ABOUT 35 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD PADDLE ASSEMBLY FRACTURED AND SEPARATED BEFORE THE LOSS OF CONTROL. METALLURGIC EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE REVEALED AN OVERLOAD FAILURE MODE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,982 hours in all; 171 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,129 as pilot in command; 629 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,556 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1993; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-540-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SNS at 4:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:20 pm from SNS, 6 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.
Other NTSB records under N149HA 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.