# NTSB investigations: Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D: Loss of control in flight

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 WPR26FA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26FA054.md): Hughes 369D · Pryor, OK · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report · Dec 5, 2025 · N161LA · Substantial damage
  > On December 5, 2025, about 0858 central standard time, a Hughes 369D, N161LA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pryor, Oklahoma. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal…
- [NTSB ERA25LA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA040.md): Hughes 369D · Waycross, GA · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Nov 5, 2024 · N11AS · Substantial damage
  > An encounter with a foreign object, which resulted in a loss of control and collision with terrain.
- [NTSB WPR19LA249](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19LA249.md): Hughes 369 · Asotin, WA · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Sep 1, 2019 · N54528 · Substantial damage
  > A loss of control for undetermined reasons.
- [NTSB WPR18FA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR18FA074.md): Hughes 369D · Pomeroy, WA · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jan 27, 2018 · N369TH · Substantial damage
  > A loss of control following the gunner's failure to ensure that the net maintained clearance from the tail rotor.
- [NTSB WPR14CA363](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14CA363.md): Hughes 369D · Willows, CA · Accident · Serious injuries · Data collection · Final report · Sep 2, 2014 · N516PJ · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to adequately secure cargo (a jacket), which resulted in the jacket exiting the cabin compartment and colliding with the tail rotor during cruise flight.
- [NTSB CEN14LA398](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN14LA398.md): Hughes 369D · West Liberty, OH · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jul 29, 2014 · N89ZC · Substantial damage
  > A total loss of engine power, which resulted from fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s failure to adequately monitor the fuel quantity during the flight.
- [NTSB WPR14LA308](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14LA308.md): Mdhi 369D · Oso, WA · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jul 22, 2014 · N5225C · Substantial damage
  > The pilot/mechanic’s failure to properly perform required inspections of the main rotor blades at the necessary intervals, which resulted in an in-flight separation of a main rotor blade due to disbonding and fatigue cracking. Contributing to the accident was…
- [NTSB CEN13FA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA075.md): Hughes 369 · Childress, TX · Accident · 1 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Nov 27, 2012 · N28MP · Substantial damage
  > The improper maintenance of the helicopter fuel system that resulted in erroneous fuel gauge indications and the pilot’s inadequate fuel management, both of which resulted in fuel exhaustion during a long-line hover. Also causal was the lack of company…
- [NTSB WPR11LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR11LA048.md): MD Helicopter 369D · Salem, OR · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Nov 15, 2010 · N155PH · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance between the longline and trees, which resulted in the longline snagging a tree and then recoiling into the main rotor blades and a subsequent loss of helicopter control.
- [NTSB WPR09LA144](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR09LA144.md): MD Helicopter 369D · Trona, CA · Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Mar 7, 2009 · N501EF · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain control while landing in a high density altitude environment due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.
- [NTSB LAX08FA233](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08FA233.md): Hughes 369D · Price, UT · Accident · 3 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jul 19, 2008 · N400BE · Destroyed
  > The pilot's inadequate preflight performance planning for the takeoff and the loading that exceeded the lift performance capability of the helicopter.

## 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" = '240' 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/240/sequence?model=4470706

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.