No fatalities

20 Sep 2018: Hiller UH 12E — Sky Copters Inc. — Frankfort, KS

Frankfort, KS, United States

On 20 Sep 2018, a Hiller UH 12E Undesignat operated by Sky Copters Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Frankfort, KS. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The ground crewmember's improper grabbing of the hovering helicopter's skid during an external load hook-up, which resulted in the helicopter descending and the main rotors striking ground equipment. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A skid-equipped helicopter sustained substantial damage when its main rotor blades struck the auger on a seed tender after a ground crewmember grabbed the skid during bucket attachment.

Accident Description

The pilot of a skid-equipped helicopter reported that he established a hover over a seeding bucket to allow the ground crew to attach the bucket to the helicopter's cargo hook. During this operation, one of the ground crewmembers grabbed the helicopter's skid while attempting to connect the bucket. Subsequently, the helicopter descended, and the main rotor blades struck the auger on the seed tender. The helicopter then came to rest upright on top of a grass bale located in front of the seed tender.

Damage

The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and the tail rotor drive systems.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Ground crewAttain/maintain not possibleEffect on operation