Hughes 369D N303BT

Summary

On 6 March 2000 at about 17:19 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N303BT was involved in an accident near Dallas, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 March 2000 at 17:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Dallas, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.3096, -81.1701

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N303BT

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Charlotte → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL00LA034

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper use of flight controls during an emergency landing. Factors were an encounter with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) during an out-of-ground effect hover, the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, and his failure to follow proper procedures for LTE.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing an out-of-ground effect (OGE) hover at 500 agl while performing aerial photography for a live news broadcast. While hovering OGE on a heading of 195 degrees with the winds were from 030 degrees at 10 knots, the helicopter experienced several unanticipated right yaw excursions. The pilot made the decision to perform an autorotation landing. He stretched the landing to clear power lines and upon impact with the ground, the helicopter rolled onto its right side. According to the pilot, he previously experienced a tail rotor failure in the same model helicopter, and believed the helicopter was possibly experiencing a similar malfunction. Advisory Circular 90-95 (Unanticipated Right Yaw in Helicopters) instructs the pilot to avoid tailwinds while maneuvering between hover and 30 knots and to be aware of wind direction and velocity when hovering in winds of 8-10 knots, especially OGE. A recommended recovery technique is to adjust the controls for normal forward flight. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no engine or airframe abnormalities.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.