# NTSB investigations: Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D: External load event (Rotorcraft)

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 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 CEN24LA358](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA358.md): Hughes 369 · Canton, MI · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Sep 11, 2024 · N8969F · Substantial damage
  > Fatigue cracking of the main rotor blade that occurred at an undetermined time.
- [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 ERA20LA160](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA20LA160.md): Hughes 369 · Pylesville, MD · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Apr 25, 2020 · N9159F · Substantial damage
  > The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of unporting of the fuel tank supply pickup while the helicopter was maneuvered to move a conductor wire. Contributing to the accident was the helicopter’s inappropriate configuration for the type of…
- [NTSB CEN19FA020](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19FA020.md): Hughes 369 · McDougal, AR · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 2 · Field · Final report · Nov 2, 2018 · N5187S · Destroyed
  > The pilot's failure to maintain the helicopter's clearance from the powerline structure while hovering in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with the structure and an uncontrolled descent into terrain.
- [NTSB ERA18LA091](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18LA091.md): Hughes 369 · San Juan, PR · Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report · Jan 11, 2018 · N571HH · No damage
  > The helicopter pilot's improper decision to use an open-end grapple, instead of an A-frame attachment, to lift and move a ladder with a lineman on it and the lineman's improper decision to be lifted on a ladder via an open-end grapple, which were contrary to…
- [NTSB CEN13CA281](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13CA281.md): Hughes 369D · Camdenton, MO · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · May 15, 2013 · N725M · Substantial damage
  > The piece of wood/tree that contacted the main rotor blade during the low altitude tree-trimming flight.
- [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.

## 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" = '480' 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/480/sequence?model=4470706

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