Hughes 369HS N9138F
15 April 1990 · Junction, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 April 1990 at about 21:05 local time, a Hughes 369HS registered N9138F, operated by Neveri, Inc., was involved in an accident near Junction, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Junction, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Private (NONE)
- Coordinates
- 30.4800, -99.7705
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS
- Registration
- N9138F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Neveri, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Junction
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW90LA095
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S INADEQUATE EXECUTION OF THE AUTOROTATION FOLLOWING A ENGINE FAILURE WHICH RESULTED FROM HIS FAILURE TO REFUEL THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE PROPER GRADE OF FUEL WHEN HE RAN SHORT DURING THE FLIGHT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD AND ROLLED OVER DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER AN ENGINE FLAMEOUT AND AUTOROTATION. THE PILOT HAD FLIGHT PLANNED THE FERRY FLIGHT FOR A DISTANCE OF 162 NM INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL 258 NM. NO WEATHER BRIEFING WAS OBTAINED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. DURING THE FLIGHT HE ENCOUNTERED FOG AND LOW CEILINGS WHICH REQUIRED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. AFTER THE FOG CLEARED, HE TOOK OFF, FLEW AROUND FOR 20 MINUTES, AND PROCEEDED ON COURSE. HOWEVER, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED HEAD WINDS AND WAS FORCED TO STOP AND ADD FUEL AT LOCAL RANCHES TWICE. AT THE FIRST, HE FUELED WITH A MIXTURE OF DIESEL AND AUTOGAS AND AT THE SECOND HE FUELED WITH AUTOGAS ONLY. AFTER TAKEOFF FROM THE SECOND REFUELING SITE, THE ENGINE FLAMED OUT AT ABOUT 200' AGL. FUEL SAMPLES TAKEN FROM THE AIRCRAFT WERE FOUND TO BE 10% JET-A AND 90% AUTOGAS, NOT THE 2:1 RATIO OF JET-A AUTOGAS SPECIFIED IN THE ENGINE MAINTENANCE MANUAL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 369 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 1990 | Hughes 369E | Buford, Georgia, United States | Gwinnett County Board of Comm | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1990 | Hughes 369C | Kahului, Hawaii, United States | Alex Air | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 1990 | Hughes 369E | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1990 | Hughes 369HS | Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States | Charles Bella | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 May 1990 | Hughes 369FF | Madera, California, United States | Rogers Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 21 May 1990 | Hughes 369D | Kelso, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1990 | Bell 206B | Pearland, Texas, United States | Houston Helicopter, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172G | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1990 | Beechcraft 100 | Uvalde, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1990 | Hughes H500C | Houston, Texas, United States | Mark R. Lancaster | No injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 1990 | Cessna 152 | Albany, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 1990 | Enstrom F-28A | Danbury, Texas, United States | Salaika, TIM | Minor injuries | - |