- Date
- July 20, 1982, 20:15 local (Jul 21, 1982, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- 35 W. Of Ketchi, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N58414Hughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 20, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820720032379A
- Case key
- 69647
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 conducting a sling load operation with a 50 ft cable attached. After the last sling load was moved to a new drilling site, the pilot elected to leave the cable attached since there was no suitable landing area nearby. He stated that the cable was trailing nicely as he descended down a 1500 ft bluff above the main camp. However, as he reduced the rate of descent and forward velocity, and applied power, the cable became engaged in the tail rotor. Subsequently, the pilot lost effective control of the helicopter and crashed on a rocky beach. The tail rotor and tail rotor gear box were found about 100 ft from the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58414
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 480306D
- Airframe hours
- 1,888
- Engine
- Allison 250-D20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 133
- Operator
- Temsco Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Temsco Helicopters, Inc.
- Departed
- 35 W. Of Ketchi, AK
- Destination
- 35 W. Of Ketchi, AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,880 total · 440 in this make and model · 2,770 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 145 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KTN, 35 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.