# Accident 20061122024139A: Hughes 369E, Lyons, OR, November 22, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 22, 2006, 15:00 local time
- Place: Lyons, OR
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
- Operator: MLTL
- Location: 44.8186° N, 122.5939° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.8186&lon=-122.5939&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1611W (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369E
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C20B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA07LA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA07LA022) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20061122024139A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON 11/22/2006, AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET AGL, N1611W EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF ONE OF TWO EXTERNAL LOAD NYLON SLINGS WHICH LED TO THE LOSS OF THE LOAD OF CHRISTMAS TREES. THE STEEL LONG LINE ATTACHED TO THE STRUCTURAL HOOK, AS A RESULT OF AERODYNAMIC FORCES AND THE REACTION TO THE LOSS OF THE LOAD, CAUSED THE LONG LINE TO FLING UPWARD. A SECOND NYLON SLING ATTACHED TO THE LONG LINE WAS FLUNG INTO THE ROTOR DISC. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE NYLON ROPE WAS OBSERVED BEING WOUND AROUND THE ROTOR MAST. HE ALSO OBSERVED THE PILOT DISCONNECT THE LONG LINE HOOK AT THAT TIME. POST CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT THE PITCH CHANGE LINKS WERE BROKEN AS A RESULT OF THE NYLON ROPE WINDINGS. THE PILOT REPORTED TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL. THE PILOT STATES HE REDUCED POWER, IMPACTED GROUND ON THE RIGHT SKID. POST CRASH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE INCLUDES SEPARATION OF RIGHT SKID, SEPARATION OF ALL FIVE ROTOR BLADES, LOSS OF TAIL PYLON AND TAIL ROTOR, AND DAMAGE TO ALL PITCH CHANGE LINKS. THE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT, REPORTS NO INJURIES. THE PILOT OPERATION DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 SEA07LA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA07LA022), Nov 22, 2006: McDonnell Douglas 369E (N1611W), Lyons, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: A severing of the helicopter's cyclic and collective rods by one of the load lifting slings following the failure of the other sling. A contributing factor was the hard landing due to the fact that…

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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