- Date
- February 22, 1993, 10:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Kahului, HI
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N58240Hughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930222003119A
- Case key
- 27933
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 pilots failure to maintain an adequate visual lookout for obstructions while performing a low altitude surveillance operation in a mountainous area, and, his failure to select an altitude sufficient to ensure clearance from all potential obstacles.
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 helicopter was hired by the maui police department to conduct some low altitude surveillance operations in the mountains. The pilot said that he was proceeding at a slow speed down a gulch while the police officers on board conducted their surveillance operations. The tail rotor contacted a powerline strung across the gulch and the tail rotor separated from the helicopter. The helicopter began to spin and the pilot said he reduced the power to idle and dropped the collective. The helicopter then descended into trees. The pilot noted that he saw the wires about two seconds prior to colliding with them; however, he was unable to avoid them due to 'strong winds and the momentum of the helicopter.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58240
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 890560D
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Helicopter Tours, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Pacific Helicopter Tours, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000
- Destination
- OGG
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 7,930 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OGG, 9 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 N58240 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.