Hiller 12E accident near Myrtle Point, Oregon, April 26, 1985
On April 26, 1985 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Hiller 12E (helicopter), registered N99GM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Myrtle Point, Oregon (None airport). 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1985 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Myrtle Point, Oregon · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller 12E
- Registration
- N99GM · registry record · serial 1498
- 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 CFR 137 FLIGHT A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED WITH AN AUDIBLE SCREECH COMING FORM THE ENGINE AREA. AUTOROTATION WAS MADE AND THE ACFT WAS LANDED INTO A HEVILY TREED AREA WITH STEEP TERRAIN. DURING ENGINE TEAR DOWN A FRACTURED IMPELLER WAS FOUND. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE FRACTURED IMPELLER WAS DUE TO PROGRESSION OF A PRE-EXISTING FATIGUE CRACK IN THE IMPELLER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,402 hours in all; 7,272 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 12,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,053 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 28, 1984; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: NONE Myrtle Point OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA85LA097.