Hughes OH-6A accident near Duchesne, Utah, July 31, 1994
On July 31, 1994, a Hughes OH-6A (helicopter), registered N12UT, was destroyed in an accident near Duchesne, Utah. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA (REQUIRING THE PILOT TO DEVIATE FROM THE DESIRED COURSE), HIGH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE,
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1994
- Place
- Duchesne, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Hughes OH-6A · all OH-6As on the register
- Registration
- N12UT · registry record · serial 65-12953
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RETURNING TO SALT LAKE CITY FROM THE SOUTHEAST, THE PILOT REPORTED SEEING THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. AT ABOUT 1843 MDT, THE HELICOPTER CHANGED COURSE AND PROCEEDED OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH A MODE C ALTITUDE READOUT OF 9600 TO 9800 FEET MSL. THE TERRAIN ELEVATION ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH CHANGED FROM 7700 TO ABOUT 10,000 FEET. SHORTLY AFTER PASSING OVER TERRAIN NEAR 10,000 FEET, THE PILOT RADIOED A MAYDAY AND DECLARED THAT THE ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER. THE HELICOPTER BEGAN A DESCENT, ROUGHLY FOLLOWING A CANYON DRAINAGE AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED AT AN ELEVATION OF APPROXIMATELY 8850 FEET AFTER IMPACTING TREES. THE LONGITUDINAL WRECKAGE DISTRIBUTION WAS MINIMAL, INDICATING SLOW FORWARD VELOCITY AT TREE IMPACT. AN EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF POWER PRODUCTION DURING IMPACT; NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 12,000 FEET, AND THE HELICOPTER'S GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 1977 POUNDS. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SHOWED THAT WITH THESE CONDITIONS, THE HELICOPTER WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A HOVER OUT OF GROUND EFFECT. THE ROTOR BLADES SHOWED ROTATIONAL ENERGY IMPACT SIGNATURES.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,514 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 1,838 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,549 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 1, 1994; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison T63-A-700 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 11:26 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 3.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,400 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 SEA94GA203.