Hughes 369D N5070J
9 February 1999 · Herminie, Pennsylvania, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 9 February 1999 at about 20:15 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N5070J, operated by Agrotors Inc., was involved in an accident near Herminie, Pennsylvania, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. 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 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Herminie, Pennsylvania, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.2608, -79.7107
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N5070J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Agrotors Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Latrobe → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99LA055
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter was positioning next to a powerline tower, in an out of ground effect hover. During the hover, the engine out warning horn sounded, alerting the pilot of a possible power loss. The pilot backed the helicopter away from the tower, lowered the collective, and turned to the left to avoid the tower. Approximately 10-15 feet above the ground, the engine lost additional power, and descended rapidly. Just prior to impact, the pilot applied maximum collective, and the helicopter landed hard. After landing, the engine was shut down by the pilot. The engine was removed and accelerated in a test cell from 70 percent to 95 percent torque. No discrepancies were noted, and power calibrations were computed. The computed power calibrations revealed that the engine was producing 12 percent more than rated power. The fuel control unit was removed from the engine, inspected, and tested. No conditions were found that would have prohibited the unit from operating normally at the time of the incident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jun 1999 | Hughes 369HS | Pacific Ocean | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 1999 | Hughes 369D | Petersburg, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Dec 1999 | Hughes 369HS | Pacific Ocean | Hansen Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 1999 | Hughes 369D | Southbend, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Feb 1999 | Hughes 369D | Baggs, Wyoming, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 May 1999 | Hughes 369E | Intercession, Florida, United States | Air 2 | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1999 | Cessna 305A | Hilltown, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Beechcraft A23 | Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States | Joseph T. Gembusia | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1999 | Piper PA28R-180 | Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jan 1999 | Douglas DC-9 | Plainfield, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1999 | Cessna 177RG | Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1999 | Grove AIR COMMAND | Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |