NTSB ERA22LA118 — 2022-02-09 · Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, United States

Current FAA registration · N64741

Make / Model: HILLER UH-12E4
Year of manufacture: 1976 · 46 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING VO-540 SERIES (310 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19810515
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A8823A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N64741 Hiller UH-12E4 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control during the descent which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, during a short local flight while approaching to land, he encountered a descent rate that was unsuitable for landing. He attempted to correct for the rate of descent but was unsuccessful after pulling full collective pitch. The helicopter impacted the ground and rolled on to its right side, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. He stated that he may have encountered a condition called “settling with power” during his approach to land due to the winds. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Awareness of condition
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA118.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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