20180220023069A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Hughes HU-369 · Int'L Waters · February 20, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: February 20, 2018 · 10:55 local
Place: Int'L Waters
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N501VS
Reported as: Hughes HU-369
Reported engine: Allison 250-C20B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 2
Pilot’s certificate: Unknown or foreign certificate
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,000 total800 in this make and model120 in the last 90 days

N501VSRegistered now · Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369DS/N 170050D · Built 1977 Airframe modelHughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D Engine modelAllison 250-C20BTurbo-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.

Pilot stated that while performing tuna spotting at 500', heard a loud noise in the main rotor system followed by lateral shaking of cyclic. Pilot turned back toward the boat approximately 22 miles away. Pilot heard another loud noise from the rotor followed by more shaking of the cyclic. Pilot dropped down to 30 feet and slowed to 20-30 knots and attempted to deploy floats. Floats did not deploy. Pilot heard another loud noise followed by the cyclic snatching to the right very hard at which point the helicopter uncontrollably rolled to the right and hit the water in a 90 degree roll. The helicopter immediately flipped inverted, at which point the pilot and observer were able to exit the helicopter to wait for pickup by the boat.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT WHILE PERFORMING TUNA SPOTTING AT 500', HEARD A LOUD NOISE IN THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM FOLLOWED BY LATERAL SHAKING OF CYCLIC. PILOT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE BOAT APPROXIMATELY 22 MILES AWAY. PILOT HEARD ANOTHER LOUD NOISE FROM THE ROTOR FOLLOWED BY MORE SHAKING OF THE CYCLIC. PILOT DROPPED DOWN TO 30 FEET AND SLOWED TO 20-30 KNOTS AND ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY FLOATS. FLOATS DID NOT DEPLOY. PILOT HEARD ANOTHER LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY THE CYCLIC SNATCHING TO THE RIGHT VERY HARD AT WHICH POINT THE HELICOPTER UNCONTROLLABLY ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND HIT THE WATER IN A 90 DEGREE ROLL. THE HELICOPTER IMMEDIATELY FLIPPED INVERTED, AT WHICH POINT THE PILOT AND OBSERVER WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE HELICOPTER TO WAIT FOR PICKUP BY THE BOAT.