# Accident 20001206028669A: Hughes 369D, Montrose, CO, December 6, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 6, 2000, 15:10 local time
- Place: Montrose, CO
- Airport: Montrose County
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: H8OL
- Location: 38.4897° N, 107.8691° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4897&lon=-107.8691&mi=10
- Aircraft: N411SM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N411SM-2001-06-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D (registry code 4470706, https://openairdocs.org/model/hughes-helicopters-hughes-369d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369D
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN01TA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN01TA019) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20001206028669A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23)DURING ANIMAL CAPTURE OPERATIONS, A LEAD WEIGHT ATTACHED TO A CAPTURE NET CAME LOOSE AS THE NET WAS FIRED FROM A NETGUN. THE LEAD WEIGHT DAMAGED A MAIN ROTOR BLADE CAUSING SEVERE, VIOLENT VIBRATION. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE A/C IMMEDIATELY FROM AN ALTITUDE OF APPROX. 10 FEET AGL AND WITH APPROX. 10-15 KNOTS FORWARD AIRSPEED. AFTER CONTACTING THE GROUND, THE A/C SLID FOR APPROX. 10 FEET BEFORE A LOUD "BANG" WAS HEARD AFTER WHICH THE A/C FLIPPED VIOLENTLY ON ITS SIDE AND THEN FLIPPED TO ITS OTHER SIDE. THE "BANG" MAY HAVE BEEN THE FAILURE OF A ROTOR BLADE. THE A/C WAS DESTROYED. THE NET AND NET GUN ARE MANUFACTURED BY THE OPERATOR.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN01TA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN01TA019), Dec 6, 2000: Hughes 369D (N411SM), Montrose, CO, destroyed. Probable cause: the foreign object damage to a main rotor blade, while maneuvering.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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