DETROIT, OR, USA
N98NW
Garlick UH-1H
The pilot stated that he had just landed at a remote site after emptying his bucket. As he unloaded the main rotor, it contacted a berm on the right side of the helicopter. This resulted in a sudden stoppage and damage to the transmission.
On October 20, 1996, approximately 1640 Pacific daylight time, a Garlick UH-1H helicopter, N98NW, sustained substantial damage when the main rotor collided with terrain during landing near Detroit Lake, Detroit, Oregon. The airline transport pilot received minor injuries. The helicopter was being operated by the US Forest Service, and was being used to spread fertilizer on the Willamette National Forest. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted in visual meteorological conditions as a public use activity. There was no report of the ELT actuating, and the pilot turned it off after the accident. The pilot stated that he had just landed after emptying his bucket. As he unloaded the rotor, the main rotor contacted a berm on the right side of the helicopter, causing sudden stoppage and separation of the transmission, and additional damage.
the pilot's misjudgement of rotor clearance from the terrain. The proximity of the berm was a related factor.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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