Hiller UH-12E accident near Arvin, California, February 15, 1995
On February 15, 1995 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N5335V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arvin, 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 seizure of the transmission due to lack of lubrication from a plugged oil supply line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1995 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arvin, 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
- N5335V · no longer on the register · serial 2009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE BEGINNING OF A THIRD AERIAL APPLICATION RUN, THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GAIN ALTITUDE TO AFFECT A SAFE LANDING AND THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED INTO SOME TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE TRANSMISSION FOUND THAT THE OIL SUPPLY NOZZLE TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS PLUGGED AND PREVENTED LUBRICATION OF THE GEARS.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 9,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,103 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 381 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.