# Accident 20180519010739A: Hughes 369A, Stoneburg, TX, May 19, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 19, 2018, 09:45 local time
- Place: Stoneburg, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7069° N, 97.9167° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7069&lon=-97.9167&mi=10
- Aircraft: N369GK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N369GK-2021-09-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Hughes 369A (registry code 4470503, https://openairdocs.org/model/hughes-369a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison T63 series (registry code 03031, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-t63-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369A
- Reported engine: ALLISON T63 SERIES
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 4
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,249 total, 369 in this make and model, 74 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN18LA183](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA183) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180519010739A

## Narrative

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

AT ABOUT 0915 AM, HUGHES AIRCRAFT N369GK CARRYING A PILOT, A LEFT SEAT SPOTTER AND TWO PASSENGERS TOOK OFF FROM A LANDING ZONE (LZ) IN SUNSET, TEXAS IN PURSUIT OF HOG DEPREDATION.    THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE TOP OF THE FIRST ROW OF TREES.    NEXT THE FUSELAGE AND MAIN ROTOR BLADE IMPACTED A MUCH LARGER TREE WHICH CAUSED THE SUDDEN STOPPAGE AND SEPARATION OF THE TAIL BOOM FROM THE FUSELAGE, LEAVING THE TAIL BOOM AT THE POINT OF IMPACT UP IN THE TREE.  THE MAIN STRUCTURE OF THE FUSELAGE WITH THE CREW AND PASSENGERS FELL FROM THE TREE CRASHING DOWN ON THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT.  THE FUSELAGE DAMAGE INDICATED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE RIGHT SIDE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE IMPACT WITH THE GROUND.  ALL OCCUPANTS EXCEPT THE HUNTING GUIDE SITTING IN THE LEFT SEAT WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

## 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 CEN18LA183](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA183), May 19, 2018: Hughes 369A (N369GK), Stoneburg, TX, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's unsafe and aggressive operation of the helicopter at low altitude, which resulted in impact with trees.

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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