McDonnell Douglas 369E N16089

Summary

On 5 December 1995 at about 18:01 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N16089 was involved in an accident near Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 December 1995 at 18:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

29.7903, -90.8194

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 369E

Registration

N16089

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96FA060

1 person died.

failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from the power line and utility pole. The gusty/crosswind (weather) condition was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was hovering at 55 feet agl, parallel to a power line cable, facing east-southeast. The wind was from 200 to 210 degees at 5 to 10 knots. The rotation plane of the tail rotor blades was about 38 inches from the nearest wire. A crew member, held by a safety harness, was working from the left side of the helicopter intalling an overhead ground wire in roller blocks. The crew member's work platform was about 4 inches from the overhead ground wire when, as the pilot described, 'the cyclic suddenly moved to the left and maybe slightly forward. (The helicoper) immediately started moving to the left and into the pole and line.' The pilot further stated that he was 'trying to stop the cyclic' and move it to the right; however, 'cyclic movement to the right had a restriction,' and the 'helicopter struck the pole and/or the shield wire, pivoted to the left and up, over the shield wire,' and 'began to spin.' It impacted the ground, fire erupted, and the helicopter came to rest inverted. The pilot escaped the fire, but the crew member sustained fatal injuries. Investigation revealed the helicopter's center-of-gravity was left-lateral (-2.67 inches), the limit was -3.00 inches, and about 25% of right cyclic travel was available to the pilot. A gouge mark was found on the side of the power pole matching the helicopters work flatform. No preexisting cracks or discontinuities were found in unburned flight controls, although most of the controls were consumed by fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.