McDonnell Douglas 369E N1606K

Summary

On 2 May 2000 at about 00:10 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N1606K was involved in an accident near Bloomfield, New Mexico, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 May 2000 at 00:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Bloomfield, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

36.7090, -107.9703

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 369E

Registration

N1606K

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Farmington

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN00FA082

2 people died.

The pilot's intentional buzzing (low level flying), and his failure to maintain clearance with the static wire. A factor was his physical impairment by a contraindicated drug controlled substance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter had been used for fiber optic cable installation support operations earlier that day. The helicopter landed next to a company fuel truck at a job site approximately 20 miles south-southeast of Farmington, New Mexico, and approximately 12 miles west-southwest of the accident site. There the helicopter was refueled. The pilot told the driver he and his passenger were returning to Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington. Shortly after it departed, an oilfield worker, investigating the source of a smoke plume, found the burning wreckage of the helicopter and notified authorities. A severed static line was found nearby. The utility company estimated the height of the static line, at the point where it was severed, to be 39 feet. The power lines were estimated to be 35 feet above the ground. A toxicological screen revealed the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana) and tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (primary inactive metabolite of marijuana) in blood, lung, and bile.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.