Hughes 369D N5225C
16 November 1996 · Forks, Washington, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 November 1996 at about 23:00 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N5225C was involved in an accident near Forks, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Forks, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 47.7908, -124.2593
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N5225C
- 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
- SEA97LA032
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
fuel contamination, which resulted in loss of engine power. Factors relating to the accident included: improper servicing of the helicopter, and a lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing due to the proximity of trees.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter lost engine power during an external load/logging operation, then it sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees during an emergency landing. Investigation revealed that fuel contamination disrupted the flow of fuel from the engine fuel nozzle(s). Test samples from the fuel supplier, storage tank, and the helicopter's fuel filter were provided by the operator to an independent laboratory. Testing showed that the fuel supplier's sample was free of contamination, but contamination was found in samples from the storage tank and the helicopter fuel filter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1996 | Hughes 369D | Yerington, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1996 | Hughes 369D | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | U.s. Forest Service | No injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 1996 | Hughes 369D | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1996 | Hughes 369D | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1996 | Hughes 369E | Hesston, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 1996 | Hughes 369 | Vestaburg, Michigan, United States | Ironrange Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1996 | Cessna U206F | Crane Island, Washington, United States | West Isle Air | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 1996 | Cessna 172N | Enumclaw, Washington, United States | Aeroflight | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-18 | Ephrata, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1996 | Westcott GLASAIR I-FT | Puyallup, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 1996 | Grumman-Schweizer G-164B | Waitsburg, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |