Hiller UH-12E accident near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, July 24, 2024
On July 24, 2024 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 2001 Hiller UH-12E (helicopter), registered N3375T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper selection of a landing site, which resulted in a main rotor strike. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper performance planning and altitude selection over water, which resulted in an rpm droop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2024 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bonners Ferry, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hiller UH-12E, built 2001 · all UH-12Es on the register
- Registration
- N3375T · registry record · serial 5237
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the helicopter reported that with two passengers aboard, he approached a mountain lake to a hover above the water and saw the engine and rotor speed decrease to the green arc of the engine and rotor tachometer. He maneuvered the helicopter to the shore, and with the engine and rotor continuing to droop, he landed on some “substantially sized granite rocks” where the skids became lodged in the rocks. The helicopter then tipped forward and the main rotor blades impacted the rocks, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor and fuselage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that he did not verify the performance capability for an in-ground effect or a hover out of ground effect over water. The Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21B, states, “When hovering over surfaces as tall grass, trees, bushes, rough terrain, and water, maximum ground effect is reduced.”
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Powerplant parameters › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 349 hours in all; 272 in this make and model; 281 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 425.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 24, 2023; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO540C2A (piston); 1,555 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Priv Bonners Ferry ID at 1:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 7:35 am from K65S, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): K65S 241435Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 16/05 A3006 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 WPR24LA262.