Hiller UH-12C accident near Metter, Georgia, May 6, 2000
On May 6, 2000 at about 5:13 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12C (helicopter), registered N80584, was substantially damaged in an accident near Metter, Georgia (Metter Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate lookout resulting in a collision with a transmission wire that resulted in a forced landing and substantial damage to the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2000 · about 5:13 pm local time
- Place
- Metter, Georgia · Metter Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12C · all UH-12Cs on the register
- Registration
- N80584 · no longer on the register · serial 868-2263
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was flying his helicopter and he struck a power line. He said that the wire strike destroyed the glass bubble and he thought that was the only damage, so he tried to return to the airport. As he approached the airport for landing, the pilot said he was unable to control the engine rpm, which had stuck on a high setting, and he could not perform a normal autorotation. He landed the helicopter with high vertical and forward speeds, and the helicopter received substantial damage.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,782 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,055 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1999; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin UH-12C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHP at 4:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:30 pm from VDI, 19 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.