# NTSB LAX04CA268: McDonnell Douglas 369FF, N530RL, Lihue, HI, July 16, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: July 15, 2004, 16:00 local (Jul 16, 2004, 02:00 UTC) - Place: Lihue, HI - Coordinates: 21.975833, -159.338882 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=21.9758&lon=-159.3389&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 59666 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04CA268 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59666/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA268 ## Probable cause The pilot misjudging the clearance between the tree and the main rotor blades. Contributing factors to the accident were the high workload of the pilot and his lack of experience with bambi bucket operations. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - clearance - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - lack of experience, pilot in command (contributing factor) - object - tree(s) - excessive workload (task overload), pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The main rotor contacted a tree during firefighting operations. The pilot completed an emergency landing, and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The pilot was maneuvering the helicopter slowly toward a fire, almost in a hovering condition. The pilot's attention was focused on the bucket attached to the helicopter, and the clearance between the bucket and the trees. Just after he initiated the water release, the main rotor blades impacted a tree. The pilot felt that the accident was a result of his focused attention on the bucket and his failure to see the limited clearance between the tree and the main rotor blades. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter, nor were any found during a examination by an FAA inspector. The pilot's total bambi bucket experience was 10 hours, and he dumped 60 buckets over a 2-hour period the day of the accident. ## Factual narrative On July 15, 2004, at 1600 Hawaiian standard time, a McDonnell Douglas 369FF, N530RL, contacted a tree with the main rotor blades during firefighting operations near the Lihue Airport, Lihue, Hawaii. The pilot completed an emergency landing, and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to Smokey Mountain Helicopters, Inc., and being operated by Inter Island Helicopters under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 133. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The helicopter departed from the Port Allen Airport, Hanapepe, Hawaii, at 1400. According to the pilot, he was performing fire suppression on a fire burning near the Lihue airport. He dropped 60 buckets of water over the course of 2 hours. The helicopter was slow and nearly in a hover. He had his attention focused on the bambi bucket attached to the helicopter, and the clearance between it and the trees. As he initiated the water release, he heard a loud noise and suspected that the main rotor blades impacted a tree. The helicopter impacted the ground and rolled onto its right side. Because of his focused attention on the bucket, he did not see the limited clearance and angle between the tree and the main rotor blades. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter. His total time of bambi bucket experience was 10 hours. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the helicopter on July 16, 2004. The inspector did not find any preimpact mechanical anomalies with the helicopter during the examination. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N530RL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N530RL), registered now, S/N 0602FF (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: McDonnell Douglas 369FF - Registry model: [Mcdonnell Douglas Heli 369FF](https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-heli-369ff) (registry code 3027371) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Allison 250-C30 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30-series) (registry code 03015, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 0602FF - Engines: Allison 250-C30 turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 133 - Operator: Pacific Aviation International Inc - Registered owner: Smokey Mountain Helicopters, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: PAK, Hanapepe, HI - Destination: LIH, Lihue, HI ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 32; injuries: none; commercial; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 2; flight hours: 3,600 total, 1,200 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days, 100 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 50° at 14 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 82 °F, dew point 72 °F - Altimeter: 29.98 inHg - Observed at: PHLI ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040715013199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040715013199A), Jul 15, 2004: Hughes 369FF, Lihue, HI, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot was dropping approximately the 60th bucket of water on a fire adjacent to the Lihue (lih) airport. As he approached the intended drop point… ## Other investigations on N530RL (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB WPR11GA115](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR11GA115), Jan 31, 2011: Mcdonnell Douglas Heli 369FF (N530RL), Marana, AZ, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: An inadvertent tail rotor strike during an attempted pinnacle landing, which resulted in the pilot's loss of control of the helicopter. Inhospitable terrain/topography contributed to the severity of… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.