Hughes 369D N521ZZ

Summary

On 24 January 1998, a Hughes 369D registered N521ZZ was involved in an accident near Pacific Ocean. 2 people were on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 January 1998

Classification

Accident

Location

Pacific Ocean

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N521ZZ

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA079

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to adequately compensate for the wind condition and failure to maintain a proper rate of descent which resulted in the inadvertent loss of tail rotor effectiveness during a downwind turn.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and observer took off from the ship on an aerial observation flight to herd fish. The pilot climbed to about 400 feet, spotted fish, turned downwind, and descended into the prevailing 15-knot tailwind. Neither the descent nor the turn was arrested. The helicopter changed its heading 180 degrees, and the descent continued until the helicopter impacted the water. The helicopter sank and was not recovered. The operator reported that before the pilot died he stated that no engine problems had been experienced. The pilot indicated that he had erred in controlling the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.