Hughes 369A N50MP

Summary

On 2 September 2017 at about 21:45 local time, a Hughes 369A registered N50MP, operated by Lyft LLC, was involved in an accident near Burnet, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

2 September 2017 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Burnet, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.7917, -98.2328

Aircraft

Hughes 369A

Registration

N50MP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1968

Operator

Lyft LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Burnet

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA336

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate inflight decision making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and two passengers had conducted aerial hog hunt operations from a helicopter and were en route to an airport when the engine lost power. The pilot conducted an autorotation to a road; however, the helicopter landed hard, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the helicopter revealed that the fuel tank was empty, and no residual fuel was found in the system. Since the pilot was en route to an airport where fuel was available, it is likely that he spent too much time airborne and misjudged the amount of fuel needed to reach the destination. The accident is consistent with a fuel exhaustion event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.