# NTSB investigations: Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB ERA25FA344](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25FA344.md): Hughes 369D · Jim Thorpe, PA · Accident · 2 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report · Sep 11, 2025 · N5072F · Destroyed
  > On September 11, 2025, about 1402 eastern daylight time, a Hughes (McDonnell Douglas) 369D helicopter, N5072F, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot and line technician were fatally injured. The…
- [NTSB WPR22LA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22LA078.md): Hughes 369D · Strawberry, AZ · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Dec 21, 2021 · N111AD · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a static wire during approach.
- [NTSB CEN21LA102](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA102.md): Hughes 369D · Tuckers Crossing, MS · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Dec 29, 2020 · N103SU · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s loss of helicopter control when the external saw contacted trees during an attempted emergency landing due to a main rotor transmission oil pressure warning. The reason that the pilot did not release the external saw from the helicopter during the…
- [NTSB GAA18CA506](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA506.md): Hughes 369 · Ridgeway, PA · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Aug 22, 2018 · N89ZC · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial observation flight.
- [NTSB GAA18CA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA249.md): Hughes 369 · Newark, OH · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Apr 29, 2018 · N175JL · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from transmission power wires, which resulted in a tail rotor strike.
- [NTSB GAA16CA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA16CA168.md): Hughes 369 · Jamestown, ND · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Mar 26, 2016 · N721RP · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's excessive descent rate while flaring during a practice autorotation with a power recovery, which resulted in an impact with terrain.
- [NTSB ERA15FA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA178.md): Hughes 369D · Cherokee, AL · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Apr 6, 2015 · N555JC · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's spatial disorientation during a low-level river crossing in rainy, gray, reduced visibility meteorological conditions, which resulted in the helicopter's subsequent descent and impact with the water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's…
- [NTSB ERA12CA119](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12CA119.md): Hughes 369D · Fall Branch, TN · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Dec 21, 2011 · N500TN · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's improper decision to continue a visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a wire strike.
- [NTSB ERA10LA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10LA053.md): Hughes 369 · Baxley, GA · Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Nov 6, 2009 · N89ZC · Substantial damage
  > A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation resulting from the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the main fuel valve position.

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('4470706')
    AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND s.aircrafts_position = x.position AND s."tier2Number" = '120' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent")))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence?model=4470706

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