- Date
- November 27, 2012, 15:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sheridan, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N163PJHughes 369D
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Settling with power/vortex ring state
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20121127026039A
- Case key
- 85677
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 prevent the helicopter from entering a vortex ring state (settling with power) condition during an external load operation, which resulted in the helicopter’s main rotor blades impacting the truck.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a Christmas tree harvest, the pilot was repositioning trees from the harvest field onto a truck bed using an 18-foot tag line. He had completed at least five loads before the accident load. During the accident load, the pilot had just released the load onto the truck when he thought the helicopter was encountering a settling with power condition. The pilot maneuvered the helicopter to land on the road in front of the truck. The pilot thought he was clear of the truck; however, the main rotor blades hit the truck just above the cab. The helicopter impacted the ground and the main rotor blades struck and separated the tailboom from the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter or engine that would have precluded normal operations.
Factual narrative
During a Christmas tree harvest the pilot was repositioning the trees from the harvest field and placing them into the bed of the load truck using an 18-foot tag line. He had completed at least five loads prior to the accident load. On the accident load the pilot had just released the load into the truck when he felt the helicopter was encountering a settling with power condition. The pilot attempted to maneuver the helicopter to land on the road in front of the load truck. The pilot thought he was clear of the truck when the main rotor blades hit the truck just above the cab. The helicopter impacted the ground and the main rotor blades separated the tail boom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter or engine, which would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N163PJ
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1068D
- Airframe hours
- 6,645
- Engine
- Rolls Royce 250 C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External load · Part 133
- Operator
- P J Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- P J Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 12, 2012
- Departed
- Sheridan, OR
- Destination
- Sheridan, OR
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
- 29
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 24, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 450 in this make and model · 2,700 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- MMV, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 2, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.