Hiller UH-12E accident near Estacada, Oregon, May 23, 2005
On May 23, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N3030H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Estacada, Oregon. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain landing skid clearance during hover taxi, which resulted in a dynamic rollover. A factor was the gusty wind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Estacada, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E · all UH-12Es on the register
- Registration
- N3030H · no longer on the register · serial 970
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was parked on a trailer heading into the wind about half an hour prior to its repositioning to a mixing truck. As the pilot lifted the helicopter off the trailer he noticed the wind had switched about 40 to 50 degrees to the left, gusting from 10 to 20 knots. The helicopter subsequently weathervaned to the left, but before the pilot could correct for the left yaw its forward skid became caught under the trailer's left lip, resulting in a dynamic rollover of the helicopter onto its left side. The pilot did not report any anomalies with the helicopter that would have contributed to the accident.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,719 hours in all; 1,191 in this make and model; 296 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Estacada OR
- Destination: Estacada OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°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.
Other NTSB records under N3030H 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.