Hughes 369E N500DX

Summary

On 10 February 2003 at about 15:00 local time, a Hughes 369E registered N500DX, operated by Delta Aviation, was involved in an accident near Paxson, Alaska, United States. 3 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

10 February 2003 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Paxson, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

63.2167, -145.9667

Aircraft

Hughes 369E

Registration

N500DX

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Delta Aviation

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delta Junction → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC03LA026

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's attention being diverted inside the cockpit to look at the global positioning system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot was conducting an aerial surveying flight over snow-covered terrain. During the survey operation, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter about 200 feet above ground level, while one of the passengers would drop stakes about every 800 feet along a property line. The pilot's attention was diverted inside the helicopter to monitor the global positioning system when the helicopter collided with terrain. The pilot said weather was not a factor in the accident. The helicopter impacted level terrain in a level attitude and rolled onto its side. The fuselage and rotor system received substantial damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.