- Date
- May 22, 1991, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Togiak, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5314DHughes 500-D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19910522016809A
- Case key
- 5545
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to secure the cargo prior to the flight. Contributing to the accident was the rough, uneven terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During cruise flight, a securing rope came loose and wrapped itself around the tail rotor pitch control. During the autorotation, ground contact was made in a level altitude, but the hard landing caused the main rotor blades to sever the tailboom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5314D
- Reported as
- Hughes 500-D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 500716D
- Airframe hours
- 5,517
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 15, 1991 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- DLG · Dillingham, AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 16,500 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 120 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 98 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.