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20020108000419A

Accident · No damage
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FAA accident report · Hughes 369E · Grandcoulee, WA · January 8, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 8, 2002 · 14:45 local
Place
Grandcoulee, WA
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N369ET
NTSB investigation
NTSBSEA02LA024
Reported as
Hughes 369E

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The aircraft was working for the state of Washington fish & game department at the colville indian reservation. The mission was to live capture deer with the use of a net gun and then attach radio collars to the animals. The pilot was flying the aircraft on an upslope angle, in an attempt to better position the aircraft on level terrain for the net gunner. The gunner was supposed to fire the net gun when the animal was below the aircraft, and not in front. For some reason, the gunner took the shot early, when the deer was still positioned in front of the aircraft, ahead of the skid. When the net was fired, it and two of the weights went into the main rotor system. Two of the blades were damaged beyond repair. The pilot maintained control of the aircraft and executed a controlled landing with power with no damage to the airframe. The only visible damage was on two of the main rotor blades. The pilot stated in a telephone conversation that he and the gunner did have contact and were talking to each other with the aircraft intercom. The pilot was flying in the left seat and the gunner was firing from the right seat.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS WORKING FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON FISH & GAME DEPARTMENT AT THE COLVILLE INDIAN RESERVATION. THE MISSION WAS TO LIVE CAPTURE DEER WITH THE USE OF A NET GUN AND THEN ATTACH RADIO COLLARS TO THE ANIMALS. THE PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT ON AN UPSLOPE ANGLE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO BETTER POSITION THE AIRCRAFT ON LEVEL TERRAIN FOR THE NET GUNNER. THE GUNNER WAS SUPPOSED TO FIRE THE NET GUN WHEN THE ANIMAL WAS BELOW THE AIRCRAFT, AND NOT IN FRONT. FOR SOME REASON, THE GUNNER TOOK THE SHOT EARLY, WHEN THE DEER WAS STILL POSITIONED IN FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT, AHEAD OF THE SKID. WHEN THE NET WAS FIRED, IT AND TWO OF THE WEIGHTS WENT INTO THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM. TWO OF THE BLADES WERE DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. THE PILOT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND EXECUTED A CONTROLLED LANDING WITH POWER WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRFRAME. THE ONLY VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS ON TWO OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. THE PILOT STATED IN A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION THAT HE AND THE GUNNER DID HAVE CONTACT AND WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER WITH THE AIRCRAFT INTERCOM. THE PILOT WAS FLYING IN THE LEFT SEAT AND THE GUNNER WAS FIRING FROM THE RIGHT SEAT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB SEA02LA024Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrand Coulee, WAThe net gunner's improper decision to fire the net gun at an angle that allowed the net to become entangled in the main rotor system. A factor was foreign object damage to the main rotor blades.Jan 8, 2002 · Substantial damage