Fairchild Hiller FH 1100 accident near Mason City, Iowa, August 26, 1982
On August 26, 1982 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH 1100 (helicopter), registered N1345Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mason City, Iowa. 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
- August 26, 1982 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mason City, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller FH 1100 · all FH 1100s on the register
- Registration
- N1345Q · no longer on the register · serial 168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A SWATH RUN, THE ENGINE RPM DROPPED TO FLIGHT IDLE AND THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED HARD IN A CLEAR AREA BESIDE THE FIELD. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A SENSING LINE FOR THE FUEL CONTROL SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THIS PREVENTED THE ENGINE FROM OPERATING ABOVE IDLE 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,330 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Clear Lake IA at 6:25 pm
- Destination: Clear Lake IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 235° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 189°F (87°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.
Other NTSB records under N1345Q 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.