Hughes 369E N5217N
11 May 1990 · Firebaugh, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 May 1990 at about 01:00 local time, a Hughes 369E registered N5217N was involved in an accident near Firebaugh, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Firebaugh, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.8500, -120.5407
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369E
- Registration
- N5217N
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA171
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
FAILURE BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE TO PERFORM A MANDATORY COMPRESSOR SECTION INSPECTION THAT RESULTED IN THE UNDETECTED EROSION OF THE COMPRESSOR VANES AND ENGINE FAILURE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE MAIN ROTOR RPM AT CRITICAL ALTITUDE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER LOST ENG POWER AND LANDED HARD. THE PLT REPORTED HE HAD JUST COMPLETED RELEASING AN EXTERNAL LOAD. THE HELICOPTER WAS ABOUT 125 FEET AGL IN A CLIMBING LEFT TURN WHEN THE PLT HEARD A LOUD BANG. THE PLT ENTERED AUTOROTATION. THE PLT NOTED THAT THE MAIN ROTOR RPM WAS LOW AND WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN ANY MAIN ROTOR RPM BEFORE THE LANDING FLAIR. AT TOUCHDOWN, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES FLEXED DOWNWARD AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM. THE THIRD STAGE COMPRESSOR HAD FAILED, DAMAGING THE REMAINING STAGES OF THE COMPRESSOR. THE COMPRESSOR CASE PLASTIC WAS ERODED. THE ENG HAD UNDERGONE MAJOR MAINTENANCE AT 1,774.5 HOURS WHICH REQUIRED THE REMOVAL OF THE TURBINE SECTION. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE IN THE ENG LOGBOOKS OF THE COMPRESSOR SECTION BEING INSPECTED AT 1,750 HOURS AS REQUIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE ENGINE MAINTENANCE MANUAL WARNS EROSION WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO COMPRESSOR BLADES AND VANES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Hughes 369HS | Junction, Texas, United States | Neveri, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1990 | Hughes 369E | Buford, Georgia, United States | Gwinnett County Board of Comm | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1990 | Hughes 369C | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | Alex Air | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1990 | Hughes 369HS | Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States | Charles Bella | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 May 1990 | Hughes 369FF | Madera, California, United States | Rogers Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 1990 | Hughes 369D | Kelso, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |