Accident Overview
On June 29, 2013, at approximately 1130 central daylight time, a Hiller UH-12A helicopter, registration N6331D, impacted terrain during an attempted landing on a tow trailer near Florence, Alabama. The student pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter was registered to River Cleaning Inc. and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from a parking area near the trailer just before the accident.
Accident Narrative
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who interviewed an eyewitness, the student pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on the trailer to transport it to another location. The helicopter was hovering above the trailer when it began to drift backward. As it moved back, the nose pitched up, and the tail subsequently struck the ground. The helicopter then rolled to the right, causing the main rotor blades to contact the ground, and it came to rest on the right side of the fuselage. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, skids, and fuselage.
Investigation Findings
The FAA inspector reported that numerous attempts to interview the pilot were unsuccessful because the pilot had no recollection of the events. The pilot's total flight experience was approximately 38 hours. Examination of the helicopter at the accident site revealed no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.