Hughes 369D N114HD
13 August 2006 · Lahaina, Hawaii, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 August 2006 at about 02:45 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N114HD was involved in an accident near Lahaina, Hawaii, United States. One person was 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 02:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lahaina, Hawaii, United States
- Coordinates
- 20.0172, -156.6019
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N114HD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Kahului → Kahului
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX06TA259
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to shut down the engine prior to exiting the helicopter resulting in the tail rotor contacting the ground. A contributing factor was the gusting wind conditions present at the accident site.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot landed in a flat grass covered field for the purpose of removing a long line and bambi bucket used in firefighting operations. Following touchdown, the pilot rolled the throttle to flight idle, and applied the frictions for the cyclic and collective. The wind conditions at the time were from 060 degrees at 19 knots gusting to 25 knots. After the pilot exited the helicopter, a gust of wind caught the unattended rotor disk, and tilted it, causing the helicopter to tilt rearward on its skids. The pilot returned to the controls just as the tail rotor made contact with the ground. He leveled the helicopter, brought the engine back to flight idle, and initiated a hover. The pilot stated that after he performed several pedal turns and noticed no control hindrance, he elected to return to Kahului. The helicopter sustained substantial damage consisting of damaged tail rotor blades and a bent and twisted tail rotor system drive shaft.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 2006 | Hughes 369D | Somis, California, United States | Southern California Edison Company | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Jun 2006 | Hughes 369D | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 2006 | Hughes 369A | Banks, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 2006 | Hughes 369E | Jensen, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Jun 2006 | Hughes 369D | Moab, Utah, United States | Camera Copters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2006 | Hughes 369HS | Mattituck, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jul 2006 | Hammack AIR COMMAND ELITE | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 2006 | Eurocopter AS350BA | Hana, Hawaii, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2006 | Cessna 172S | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2006 | Partenavia P68 | Kaunakakai, Hawaii, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 2006 | Cessna 414A | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 5 Jan 2006 | Eurocopter EC 130B4 | Lahaina, Hawaii, United States | Helicopter Consultants of Maui, Inc. | No injuries | - |