Skip to content

CEN23LA383

2023-08-27 · Mosby, Missouri, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GPH

Current FAA registration · N8178H

Make / Model
HILLER UH-12A
Year of manufacture
1950 · 73 years old at event
Engine
FRANKLIN 6V-335 SERIES (200 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19840419
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB26D5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a hover taxi, he inadvertently allowed the engine rpm to decrease. He increased the throttle, but the helicopter landed hard on its skids in the grass and the tail rotor impacted the ground. The ground strike resulted in substantial damage to the tail rotor blades and tailboom assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot noted that a better scan of the engine instruments could have prevented the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Powerplant parameters-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA383.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers