NTSB Identification: ERA13LA118
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, January 26, 2013 in Okeechobee, FL
Aircraft: HILLER-TRI-PLEX IND.INC. UH-12B, registration: N9041U
Injuries: 3 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On January 26, 2013, about 0758 eastern standard time, a Hiller-Tri-Plex Industries Inc. UH-12B, N9041U, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and then terrain, following a loss of engine power while maneuvering, near Okeechobee, Florida. The airline transport pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local sightseeing flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the pilot, on the morning of the accident, he started and warmed up the helicopter and then checked the controls prior to loading the passengers. After loading his passengers, He lifted off and then flew to the north side of the property he was operating from to shoot Feral Hogs. After arriving at the north side, he began a parallel grid search tracking east to west and from north to the south, just above a wooded area. On the second or third east to west pass, the passenger seated on his left observed some hogs inside the edge of the wooded area. The pilot then maneuvered the helicopter toward the area that the passenger had indicated the hogs were. The engine and rotor speed which was indicted in revolutions per minute (rpm) then "faded a bit" and the pilot lowered collective and added throttle to recover rpm. He then heard a couple of "pops" and the engine rpm started "slightly decaying". At this point he was able to fly the helicopter with partial power away from some very tall trees and toward a clearer area in a shallow decent.
The rotor rpm remained within the "green / yellow area" on the tachometer and "all gauges were in the green". As he was barely above the trees (approximately 10 feet), he elected to keep the aircraft under control and settle into the trees with as low descent rate as possible.
Upon contact with the trees the main rotor blades broke apart and separated from the helicopter, and the helicopter fell nose first 20-30 feet and impacted the ground. The passenger seated to his left then egressed through the windshield area which had shattered on impact and the passenger seated to his right egressed through the right cabin door. Both passengers then assisted the pilot to egress through the right cabin door.
According to FAA records, the helicopter was manufactured in 1951. The helicopter was retained by the NTSB for further examination.
Live Oak — Two Live Oak men were involved in a helicopter crash in St. Lucie County around 9 a.m. Saturday morning, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
Jonathan Strayer, 46, and Massad Ayoob, 64, were treated and released at Raulerson Memorial Hospital in Okeechobee, as was the pilot, William Harward, 55, Miami.
The extent of their injuries is not known at this time.
The Hiller helicopter crashed in a swamp between Okeechobee Road and Orange Avenue, west of the Adams Ranch in St. Lucie County.
"Okeechobee Sheriff's Office investigated and notified federal authorities," said Mark Weinberg, public information officer for St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. "Later, it was determined that the crash site was about 200 feet east of the St. Lucie - Okeechobee county line, about two miles north of Waste Management's property, and in St. Lucie County."
Source: http://suwanneedemocrat.com
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