Hughes 369D N89ZC
29 July 2014 · West Liberty, Ohio, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 29 July 2014 at about 20:51 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N89ZC, operated by Rotor Blade LLC, was involved in an accident near West Liberty, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 20:51
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- West Liberty, Ohio, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.3019, -83.7689
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N89ZC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1981
- Operator
- Rotor Blade LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- External Load
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West Liberty → West Liberty
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN14LA398
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power, which resulted from fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s failure to adequately monitor the fuel quantity during the flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot was using an aerial saw to trim trees when the accident occurred. As the helicopter was going through a tree line, the engine lost power, and it then descended into trees and terrain. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that no fuel was present in either the fuel tank or in the engine fuel line. When electrical power was applied to the helicopter after the accident, the fuel quantity indicator showed that the fuel tank was empty. The helicopter was topped off with fuel before the accident flight, and it had been flown 1 hour 50 minutes before the accident. The operator stated that the fuel tank holds 62.4 gallons, and the pilot reported that the helicopter consumes about 30 gallons per hour. It is likely that the pilot did not adequately monitor the fuel quantity during the flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb 2014 | Hughes 369 | Naples, Florida, United States | Collier Mosquito Control District | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 2014 | Hughes 369D | Moonlight Creek, New Zealand, New Zealand | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2014 | Hughes 369HS | Saint Peter, Minnesota, United States | Tery Jon Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2014 | Hughes 369D | Willows, California, United States | PJ Helicopters Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 2015 | Hughes 369D | Marion, South Carolina, United States | Rotor Blade LLC | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 2013 | Hughes 369D | Center Point, West Virginia, United States | DAH Aircraft LLC | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jun 2014 | Piper PA 32-260 | Lebanon, Ohio, United States | Flying Neutrons LLC | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2014 | Piper PA 28-181 | Put in Bay, Ohio, United States | Griffing Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2014 | Gallager John C GLASAIR | Highland Heights, Ohio, United States | Arthur A. Green III | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2014 | Federsen Walter LANCAIR IVP | Findlay, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 Nov 2014 | Cirrus SR22 | Grover Hill, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 13 Feb 2014 | Cessna 150-G | Galion, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |