Hughes 369D N131AL

Summary

On 8 March 2011 at about 20:05 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N131AL, operated by Quicksilver Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Meeker, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 March 2011 at 20:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Meeker, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.9164, -108.3675

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N131AL

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Quicksilver Air Inc

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Meeker → Meeker

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11GA218

1 person had minor injuries.

Main rotor contact with the tail boom resulting in tail boom separation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While conducting deer capture operations,the crew felt a shudder or jolt through the helicopter and collective. The first jolt was immediately followed by a bang, at which time the helicopter started to rotate to the right. The helicopter pitched nose down with forward movement as it rotated to the right, impacting the ground. The pilot estimated that he was 40 feet above the trees and that the airspeed was between 25 and 30 knots when the shudder or jolt occurred. The empennage was located 70 feet to the east of where the helicopter came to rest. Examination of the helicopter, engine, and related systems revealed no mechanical anomalies. Metallurgical examination revealed features consistent with overstress separations on all fractures in the tail boom and the driveshaft. The damage and mode of separation of the empennage was consistent with an impact from a main rotor blade. The manufacturer noted that main rotor contact with the fuselage is only possible with a low rotor rpm state or with flight outside of the approved operational envelope. However, the pilot indicated that there were no bells, horns, or warnings prior to the bang and that he did not receive a low rotor warning or a chip light; the investigation was unable to conclude that low rotor rpm or flight outside of the approved operational envelope led to the separation of the tail boom.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.