Hughes 369D N8612F

Summary

On 9 January 2021 at about 20:30 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N8612F was involved in an accident near Winthrop, Washington, 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.

Date

9 January 2021 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Winthrop, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Methow Valley State (S52)

Coordinates

48.4732, -120.1782

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N8612F

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Darrington → Winthrop

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA084

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to adequately monitor the environment which resulted in a collision with a snowbank and subsequent loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing in a snow-covered, unimproved landing zone, the helicopter drifted rearward, the tail rotor struck a snowbank, and the helicopter began to spin to the right. The pilot reduced the throttle setting to off and applied left pedal to reduce the spin, but the helicopter drifted to the right and the right skid impacted snow. The helicopter subsequently rolled over and impacted terrain. The tailboom and the main and tail rotor drive systems were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.