Hughes 369HS N71552
21 September 1990 · New Orleans, Louisiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 21 September 1990 at about 23:50 local time, a Hughes 369HS registered N71552, operated by Steel City Aviation, was involved in an accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. 3 people were 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 23:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lakefront (NEW)
- Coordinates
- 29.9493, -90.2108
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS
- Registration
- N71552
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Steel City Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW90GA185
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOSE OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL STARVATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER WAS HOLDING TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT AT APPROXIMATELY 70 KNOTS AND 300 FEET AGL AWAITING LANDING CLEARANCE WHEN THE TURBINE ENGINE FLAMED OUT. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK OVER THE CONTROLS AND INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION TO AN OPEN ATHLETIC FIELD. HE FLARED ABRUPTLY TO AVOID A BASEBALL BACKSTOP AND LANDED HARD. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES DROOPED AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM. POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED AN INCORRECTLY INSTALLED FLOAT ARM. APPROXIMATELY 250 ML OF JET FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE MAIN FUEL CELL. AN AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS FOUND FULL OF FUEL WITH THE PILOT COCKPIT CONTROL LEVER IN THE OFF POSITION.
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 | - |
| 11 May 1990 | Hughes 369E | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | 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 | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 1990 | Bell 206BIII | Kaplan, Louisiana, United States | Industrial Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1990 | Cessna 172N | Chandeleur Isld, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 1990 | Bell TH13T | Paradise, Louisiana, United States | Custom Air | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1990 | Aerospatiale AS-350D | Berwick, Louisiana, United States | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1990 | Cessna 152 | New Roades, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1990 | Cessna 180 | Saint Joseph, Louisiana, United States | Doyle, DON W. | No injuries | - |