Hughes 369E N280SP

Summary

On 27 December 2001 at about 19:41 local time, a Hughes 369E registered N280SP was involved in an accident near Park City, Utah, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 2001 at 19:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Park City, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.7514, -111.7217

Aircraft

Hughes 369E

Registration

N280SP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salt Lake City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02GA016

3 people died.

the pilot's inadequate visual lookout, resulting in an inflight collision with powerlines. Contributing factors were the fog and the powerlines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter had been contracted by the State to relocate moose to an area where they would be less hazardous to traffic. After the helicopter herded a moose off a frozen reservoir and back towards the shoreline, the pilot turned and flew into five power lines. The helicopter nosed over, and fell 80 feet in a near-inverted attitude to the surface of the frozen reservoir. It broke through the ice, sank, and then floated back to the surface. A portion of the tail boom remained entangled in the wires. Witnesses said the visibility was 1 mile in fog. An examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.