# Accident 20230713008809A: Hughes 369D, Atchison, KS, July 13, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 13, 2023, 16:45 local time
- Place: Atchison, KS
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: HN9G
- Location: 39.6356° N, 95.0968° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6356&lon=-95.0968&mi=10
- Aircraft: N533DR, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N533DR) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D (registry code 4470706, https://openairdocs.org/model/hughes-helicopters-hughes-369d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20B (registry code 54385, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c20b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369D
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,045 total, 842 in this make and model, 65 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN23LA308](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA308) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230713008809A

## Narrative

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

THE ROTORCRAFT DEPARTED SENECA, KS TO PERFORM AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES NORTH OF ATCHISON, KS. DURING SPRAY APPLICATION, THE ROTORCRAFT OPERATED UNDER HIGH TENSION POWER LINES AND ABOVE A GROVE OF TREES. WHILE PASSING UNDER THE POWER LINES, THE PILOT OBSERVED TWO SMALLER POWER LINES ORIGINATING FROM THE TREES AT AN ANGLE. THE PILOT TRIED TO MANEUVER THE AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER STRUCK THE LOWER POWER LINE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION.

## 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 CEN23LA308](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA308), Jul 13, 2023: Hughes 369D (N533DR), Atchison, KS, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to adequately survey a field for obstructions prior to a low-level aerial application pass, which resulted in an impact with a powerline.

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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