Hiller 12E accident near Walla Walla, Washington, March 30, 1986
On March 30, 1986 at about 1:15 am local time, a Hiller 12E (helicopter), registered N87595, was destroyed in an accident near Walla Walla, Washington. 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
- March 30, 1986 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Walla Walla, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller 12E
- Registration
- N87595 · no longer on the register · serial 1184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE PLANETARY GEAR OF THE TRANSMISSION OCCURRED ABOUT 51 FLIGHT HOURS AFTER OVERHAUL. DURING FORCED LANDING A HARD LANDING OCCURRED SEVERING THE TAIL BOOM. A FIRE THEN ERUPTED.
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: 3,393 hours in all; 541 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 3,226 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,315 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIVO-540-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Walla Walla WA at 1:05 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.
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.