Hughes 369D N56SM
2 April 2003 · Estes Park, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 2 April 2003 at about 23:20 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N56SM was involved in an accident near Estes Park, Colorado, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Estes Park, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.5244, -105.8639
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N56SM
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Estes Park → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03LA062
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain clearance from terrain. Factors include the high density altitude and the pilot-in-command's improper in-flight planning.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot said they were capturing bighorn sheep with a net canon. He said he was pursuing a group of animals up rising terrain (11,200 feet) when his rotor speed began to deteriorate. He tried to turn the helicopter around, but hit the ground breaking the helicopter's right skid. Subsequently, the aircraft rolled over onto its right side, and its main rotor blades separated from the helicopter. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 13,068 feet.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 2003 | Hughes 369D | Ketchikan, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2003 | Hughes 369HS | Sevenoaks, Kent, United Kingdom | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Dec 2003 | Hughes 369D | Wahiawa, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2003 | Hughes 369D | Chung Cheong, Republic Of Korea | Heli Korea | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2003 | Hughes 369D | Moclips, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2003 | Hughes 369D | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |