What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On December 29, 2020 at about 08:36 CST (1436 UTC), a Hughes (MD helicopters, inc.) model 369D helicopter, FAA registration N103SU, impacted terrain south-east of laurel, Mississippi. The pilot in command (PIC), a commercial pilot, was fatally injured in the crash. There were no passengers aboard the aircraft. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post-impact fire. The aircraft was privacy data omittedoperated privacy data omitted as a 14 code of federal regulations part 133 external load flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the time of the flight (and accident) and the flight was operated under visual flight rules (VFR) with no flight plan being filed. The flight originated from a small, grass (VFR) landing strip located at n 31°34'04.6" W089°05'26.7". The destination of the flight was unknown.
The pilot was making a clearing pass on a north heading up the east side of the row at approximately 340? AGL. The ground spotter stated the PIC relayed ?making an emergency landing? Over the radio. The ground spotter stated at that point the aircraft pitched sharply over and disappeared below the tree line. He stated by the time he arrived on the crash scene, a fire was already consuming the aircraft.
Post accident examination of the aircraft wreckage indicated the aircraft impacted the ground in a heavily wooded area on a 005 heading in a near vertical direction with the wreckage contained in a very small area. The aircraft orientation on impact appeared to be extremely nose low with the aircraft coming to rest on it?s right side. The impact marks indicate a steep angle and relatively low velocity impact. The last 4-5 feet of the tail rotor/boom separated from the aircraft and was located approximately 50 feet from the impact site. Post impact fire destroyed most of the cockpit/fuselage section of the aircraft.
There was no flight plan filed for the flight. There was no contact with ATC and/or radar data available for the flight. ADS-B data was available for the flight. The data generally corroborates the verbal/written testimony of the ground crew. The data indicates the aircraft was airborne at 1432:24 UTC. The aircraft remained in the vicinity of the departure airport for approximately 2 minutes and then departed on a northerly heading for the working area. The last ADS-B data point was 1436:40 indicating a total flight time of a little over 4 minutes. The aircraft came to rest approximately 145 feet from the last ADS-B data point.
The short time interval between the pilot?s radio call and the aircraft impacting the ground (only a few seconds), suggests a rapidly occurring, catastrophic failure.
It appears the pilot was unable to set up an effective autorotation due to several adverse factors the greatest being the low altitude and low forward airspeed. The pilot either did not or was unable to jettison the external load (saw boom) which remained attached to the aircraft throughout the accident sequence. These factors (in-effective auto-rotation and high gross weight of the aircraft) were contributing factors to the accident.
On-site examination did not reveal any impact marks from trees/branches on the leading edges of the rotor blades. The rotor blades did not exhibit any pre-impact failures (separation, fracture, folding, etc.). The tail rotor torque tube was separated cleanly and did not indicate torsional shear. The tail rotor blades were intact and did not exhibit impact marking or pre-impact failures.
Preliminary indications are the rotors were not under power at the time of impact. All indications are of a catastrophic power failure (engine and/or transmission) that occurred relatively quickly. The evidence suggests the aircraft experience a loss of of engine power or failure of the transmission for undetermined reasons.
As the FAA filed it
ON DECEMBER 29, 2020 AT ABOUT 08:36 CST (1436 UTC), A HUGHES (MD HELICOPTERS, INC.) MODEL 369D HELICOPTER, FAA REGISTRATION N103SU, IMPACTED TERRAIN SOUTH-EAST OF LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI. THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC), A COMMERCIAL PILOT, WAS FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND POST-IMPACT FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OPERATED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS A 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 133 EXTERNAL LOAD FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED DURING THE TIME OF THE FLIGHT (AND ACCIDENT) AND THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN BEING FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM A SMALL, GRASS (VFR) LANDING STRIP LOCATED AT N 31°34'04.6" W089°05'26.7". THE DESTINATION OF THE FLIGHT WAS UNKNOWN.
THE PILOT WAS MAKING A CLEARING PASS ON A NORTH HEADING UP THE EAST SIDE OF THE ROW AT APPROXIMATELY 340? AGL. THE GROUND SPOTTER STATED THE PIC RELAYED ?MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING? OVER THE RADIO. THE GROUND SPOTTER STATED AT THAT POINT THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED SHARPLY OVER AND DISAPPEARED BELOW THE TREE LINE. HE STATED BY THE TIME HE ARRIVED ON THE CRASH SCENE, A FIRE WAS ALREADY CONSUMING THE AIRCRAFT.
POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA ON A 005 HEADING IN A NEAR VERTICAL DIRECTION WITH THE WRECKAGE CONTAINED IN A VERY SMALL AREA. THE AIRCRAFT ORIENTATION ON IMPACT APPEARED TO BE EXTREMELY NOSE LOW WITH THE AIRCRAFT COMING TO REST ON IT?S RIGHT SIDE. THE IMPACT MARKS INDICATE A STEEP ANGLE AND RELATIVELY LOW VELOCITY IMPACT. THE LAST 4-5 FEET OF THE TAIL ROTOR/BOOM SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM THE IMPACT SITE. POST IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED MOST OF THE COCKPIT/FUSELAGE SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT.
THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT. THERE WAS NO CONTACT WITH ATC AND/OR RADAR DATA AVAILABLE FOR THE FLIGHT. ADS-B DATA WAS AVAILABLE FOR THE FLIGHT. THE DATA GENERALLY CORROBORATES THE VERBAL/WRITTEN TESTIMONY OF THE GROUND CREW. THE DATA INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT WAS AIRBORNE AT 1432:24 UTC. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED IN THE VICINITY OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES AND THEN DEPARTED ON A NORTHERLY HEADING FOR THE WORKING AREA. THE LAST ADS-B DATA POINT WAS 1436:40 INDICATING A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF A LITTLE OVER 4 MINUTES. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 145 FEET FROM THE LAST ADS-B DATA POINT.
THE SHORT TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE PILOT?S RADIO CALL AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE GROUND (ONLY A FEW SECONDS), SUGGESTS A RAPIDLY OCCURRING, CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.
IT APPEARS THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO SET UP AN EFFECTIVE AUTOROTATION DUE TO SEVERAL ADVERSE FACTORS THE GREATEST BEING THE LOW ALTITUDE AND LOW FORWARD AIRSPEED. THE PILOT EITHER DID NOT OR WAS UNABLE TO JETTISON THE EXTERNAL LOAD (SAW BOOM) WHICH REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT THROUGHOUT THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. THESE FACTORS (IN-EFFECTIVE AUTO-ROTATION AND HIGH GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT) WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT.
ON-SITE EXAMINATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY IMPACT MARKS FROM TREES/BRANCHES ON THE LEADING EDGES OF THE ROTOR BLADES. THE ROTOR BLADES DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURES (SEPARATION, FRACTURE, FOLDING, ETC.). THE TAIL ROTOR TORQUE TUBE WAS SEPARATED CLEANLY AND DID NOT INDICATE TORSIONAL SHEAR. THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE INTACT AND DID NOT EXHIBIT IMPACT MARKING OR PRE-IMPACT FAILURES.
PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ARE THE ROTORS WERE NOT UNDER POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. ALL INDICATIONS ARE OF A CATASTROPHIC POWER FAILURE (ENGINE AND/OR TRANSMISSION) THAT OCCURRED RELATIVELY QUICKLY. THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCE A LOSS OF OF ENGINE POWER OR FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.