20090310004269A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Hughes 369D · Lee, MA · March 10, 2009

Date: March 10, 2009 · 15:13 local
Place: Lee, MA
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator: X2RL
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N369RT
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA09LA194
Reported as: Hughes 369D
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,920 total304 in this make and model160 in the last 90 days

N369RTRegistration cancelled Sep 4, 2012 · Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369DS/N 1000819D · Built 1980 Airframe modelHughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D Engine modelAllison 250 SER 250HPTurbo-shaft

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 tail boom of the helicopter became tangled with the wire that the helicopter crew was working with. The wire became caught in the rotor blades and rotor hub that resulted in the helicopter crashing to the ground. The helicopter was destroyed and the pilot and work crew aboard were seriously injured.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE TAIL BOOM OF THE HELICOPTER BECAME TANGLED WITH THE WIRE THAT THE HELICOPTER CREW WAS WORKING WITH. THE WIRE BECAME CAUGHT IN THE ROTOR BLADES AND ROTOR HUB THAT RESULTED IN THE HELICOPTER CRASHING TO THE GROUND. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT AND WORK CREW ABOARD WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

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 ERA09LA194Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportLee, MAThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the overhead wire.Mar 10, 2009 · Substantial damage