Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 accident near Toutle, Washington, August 13, 1983
On August 13, 1983 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 (helicopter), registered N29917, was destroyed in an accident near Toutle, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. 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 13, 1983 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Toutle, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 · all FH-1100s on the register
- Registration
- N29917 · registry record · serial 57
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER TOOK OFF ON A SIGHT-SEEING, PASSENGER FLT IN THE MOUNT ST HELENS AREA. WHEN THE FLT BECAME OVERDUE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. LATER, THE HELICOPTER WAS FOUND WHERE IT CRASHED & BURNED IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA ON RELATIVELY LEVEL TERRAIN, NEAR THE NORTH FORK OF THE TOUTLE RIVER, AT AN ELEVATION OF APRX 800 FT. THERE WERE NO KNOWN WITNESSES. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT ONLY THE TREES WITHIN 34 FT OF THE WRECKAGE WERE DAMAGED. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE FIRE DAMAGE TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, BUT THE N1 RPM GAGE WAS FOUND AT 72%, THE N2 RPM GAGE WAS AT 43% & THE ROTOR RPM GAGE WAS AT 35%. A LACK OF ROTATIONAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON THE MAIN & TAIL ROTOR BLADES. THE FUEL CONTROL, FUEL GOVERNOR & FUEL PUMP WERE DESTROYED BY FIRE. SOME ROTATIONAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN THE ENG. HOWEVER, NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS VERIFIED.
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: 4,024 hours in all; 391 in this make and model; 3,896 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 1983; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Kid Valley WA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from TDO, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N29917 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.