Hughes 369D N8306F
8 June 1999 · Southbend, Washington, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 8 June 1999 at about 15:15 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N8306F was involved in an accident near Southbend, Washington, United States. One person was 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 15:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Southbend, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.5598, -123.8797
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N8306F
- 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
- SEA99LA082
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The complete loss of power, due to a failure of the compressor impeller disk. Factors include the low altitude of the helicopter at the time of the power loss, and the need to autorotate in a confined area.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Just after releasing his external load, the pilot applied power in order to climb away from the release area. As he applied power, a puff of smoke came from the engine, followed immediately by a complete loss of power. The helicopter then began spinning to the left and descending rapidly. The pilot attempted an autorotation in a confined area, and the aircraft impacted the ground sufficiently hard to result in substantial damage. A teardown inspection of the engine determined that a three-inch section of the compressor impeller disc had separated, leading to total failure of the engine. Metallurgical examination of the impeller revealed that the disc failed due to the propagation of fatigue cracks that initiated in corrosion pits on the aft face of the disc. According to the metallurgist, the corrosion was due to exposure to environmental elements, and not due to repetitive cyclic operation.
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 | - |
| 16 Feb 1999 | Hughes 369D | Baggs, Wyoming, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 May 1999 | Hughes 369E | Intercession, Florida, United States | Air 2 | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Nov 1999 | Hughes 369D | Cologne, Germany | Good Fabrication | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 1999 | Cessna 175 | Moses Lake, Washington, United States | John H. Bross | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 1999 | Cessna 140 | Port Townsend, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1999 | Cessna 185 | Renton, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1999 | Cessna 170B | Auburn, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1999 | Cessna T210L | Port Angeles, Washington, United States | Wings Aloft | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 1999 | Stinson V77 | Tacoma, Washington, United States | Kimble, Wallis, R. | No injuries | - |