Hughes 369FF N5252Y
27 April 2005 · Quantico, Virginia, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 27 April 2005 at about 22:00 local time, a Hughes 369FF registered N5252Y was involved in an accident near Quantico, Virginia, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. 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 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Quantico, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Quantico Marine Corps Airfield (NYG)
- Coordinates
- 38.5328, -77.4497
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369FF
- Registration
- N5252Y
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Quantico → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD05TA058
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from a building, which resulted in contact with the building, dynamic rollover, and collision with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The purpose of the flight was to perform "fast rope" insertions by FBI helicopter to the roof of a one-story training structure with a second-story facade attached. The helicopter approached the building from the front, with two jumpers posted on skid-mounted pods on either side of the aircraft. One jumper was deployed from the left pod, and the flight crew then decided to reposition the helicopter over the building prior to deploying the jumper from the right pod. While repositioning, the helicopter dragged the right skid on the building. The pilot attempted to free the skid, and increase the helicopter's altitude above the structure. During the climb, the right skid snagged the structure; the helicopter rolled inverted, and then struck trees and terrain. Following the accident, the pilot reported that there were no deficiencies with the handling and performance of the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2005 | Hughes 369HS | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Christopher Holland | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2005 | Hughes 369D | Hangelosa, Sweden | HT Helikoptertransport AB | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2005 | Hughes 369D | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 2005 | Hughes 369HS | Provo, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2005 | Hughes 369E | Donnelly, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2005 | Hughes 369FF | Loveland, Colorado, United States | USDA Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2005 | Diamond DA40 | Leesburg, Virginia, United States | AV-ED Flight School Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2005 | Schweizer SGS-2-33A | Windsor, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2005 | Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340A | Dulles, Virginia, United States | Shuttle America Corporation | No injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 2005 | Piper PA-28-161 | Leesburg, Virginia, United States | AV-ED Flight School Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Jun 2005 | Hall MAXAIR DRIFTER | Gloucester, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 May 2005 | Boeing B75N1 | Culpeper, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |