- Date
- January 15, 1992, 15:55 local (20:55 UTC)
- Place
- Edison, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8674FHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920115000649A
- Case key
- 11715
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 blockage of the fuel nozzle which resulted in partial loss of engine power. Contributing was the pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM.
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
The pilot was returning home, when according to a witness who saw the helicopter about 800 feet above the ground, the engine sounded normal at first. Shortly thereafter, the engine speed increased followed by the helicopter 'dutch rolling' (banking) left and right for two cycles and then rolled over one and half times nose first as it dropped behind the trees. The helicopter collided with power lines before impacting the ground in a nose down attitude and was destroyed by post-crash fire. Examination of aircraft confirmed continuity of the transmission gear box, and internal rotational damage for the engine; however, there was no significant rotational damage to the main rotor, tail rotor, and engine to transmission driveshaft (short shaft). Examination of the shaft revealed it had separaed from the bendix couplings and was crushed almost flat. There was no evidence of rotational damage between the separated halves. Metallurgical examination revealed the fuel nozzle was corroded with ferrous fibers.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8674F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D (HU-369-D)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 970185D
- Airframe hours
- 2,100
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Sun Dun Inc. Of Washington
- Registered owner
- Sun Dun Inc. Of Washington
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 1991 · 1,026 hours before
- Departed
- New York, NY
- Destination
- Pasadena, MD
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EWR, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8674F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.