Hiller UH-12C accident near Bennington, Vermont, October 5, 1997
On October 5, 1997 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12C (helicopter), registered N49983, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bennington, Vermont (William H. Morse State airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the cyclic control due to an improper modification by the pilot/owner.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1997 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bennington, Vermont · William H. Morse State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12C · all UH-12Cs on the register
- Registration
- N49983 · registry record · serial 850
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor (CFI)/owner had been demonstrating how to hover a helicopter to a student pilot. When the student pilot attempted to hover the helicopter, it began to roll right. The CFI then took hold of his controls, and the top of his cyclic stick detached. The helicopter then rolled right and collided with the ground. Examination revealed that the cyclic stick had been replaced with a military style cyclic. The owner reported that the cyclic had been cut down by removing a section of the cyclic, and the cyclic detached at the repaired joint. A review of the maintenance records did not reveal who or when the modification was performed.
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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 471 hours in all; 363 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 471 as pilot in command; 104 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1997; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6V335-5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5B5 at 4:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from ALB, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N49983 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.