Hughes 369D N8674F
15 January 1992 · Edison, New Jersey, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 15 January 1992 at about 20:55 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N8674F, operated by Sun DUN Inc. of Washington, was involved in an accident near Edison, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Edison, New Jersey, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N8674F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Sun DUN Inc. of Washington
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- New York → Pasadena
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO92FA022
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL NOZZLE WHICH RESULTED IN PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. CONTRIBUTING WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS RETURNING HOME, WHEN ACCORDING TO A WITNESS WHO SAW THE HELICOPTER ABOUT 800 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL AT FIRST. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENGINE SPEED INCREASED FOLLOWED BY THE HELICOPTER 'DUTCH ROLLING' (BANKING) LEFT AND RIGHT FOR TWO CYCLES AND THEN ROLLED OVER ONE AND HALF TIMES NOSE FIRST AS IT DROPPED BEHIND THE TREES. THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND WAS DESTROYED BY POST-CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION OF AIRCRAFT CONFIRMED CONTINUITY OF THE TRANSMISSION GEAR BOX, AND INTERNAL ROTATIONAL DAMAGE FOR THE ENGINE; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT ROTATIONAL DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR, TAIL ROTOR, AND ENGINE TO TRANSMISSION DRIVESHAFT (SHORT SHAFT). EXAMINATION OF THE SHAFT REVEALED IT HAD SEPARAED FROM THE BENDIX COUPLINGS AND WAS CRUSHED ALMOST FLAT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ROTATIONAL DAMAGE BETWEEN THE SEPARATED HALVES. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE FUEL NOZZLE WAS CORRODED WITH FERROUS FIBERS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1992 | Hughes 369E | Hillsboro, Oregon, United States | Hillsboro Helicopters Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 1992 | Hughes 369HS | Scotts Mills, Oregon, United States | Kenram Corp | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1992 | Hughes 369C | Pacific Ocean | Voyager, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Nov 1992 | Hughes 369D | Carlsbad, California, United States | Haverfield Corporation | No injuries | - |
| 2 Dec 1992 | Hughes 369B | Fallbrook, California, United States | Haverfield Corporation | Fatal | 2 |
| 4 Dec 1992 | Hughes 369C | Kamuela, Hawaii, United States | Mauna KEA Helicopters, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1992 | Cessna 150 | Princeton, New Jersey, United States | John Chang (Partnership) | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Oct 1992 | Cessna 150L | Linden, New Jersey, United States | Linden Air Services Corp | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1992 | Cessna 172P | Princeton, New Jersey, United States | Raritan Valley Flying School | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Nov 1992 | Let LF-13 | Readington, New Jersey, United States | Central Jersey Soaring Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Dec 1992 | Cessna 182 | Readington, New Jersey, United States | Blue Sky Aviation Assoc. Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 1992 | Cessna 172 | Andover, New Jersey, United States | Lincoln Park Aviation | No injuries | - |