Hughes 369D N501VS

Summary

On 19 February 2018 at about 10:55 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N501VS was involved in an accident near Pacific Ocean, Marshall Islands. 2 people were on board and 2 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

19 February 2018 at 10:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Pacific Ocean, Marshall Islands

Coordinates

34.9800, 159.9800

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N501VS

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1977

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marshall Island → Marshall Islands

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18CA100

2 people had minor injuries.

An in-flight mechanical malfunction with the helicopter, which necessitated a ditching in the ocean. The reason for the malfunction could be determined because the helicopter sank and was not recovered.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed for a flight over the open ocean. About 1 hour into the flight, the pilot descended the helicopter to sea level to attach a GPS buoy to a log. After attaching the buoy and as the helicopter was climbing through 400 to 500 ft above the water, the pilot heard a bang come from the area of the rotor head, followed by the cyclic control shaking. The pilot contacted support vessel personnel, notified them of the issue, and proceeded in the vessel's direction, but the helicopter continued experiencing intermittent flight control problems and was unable to reach the vessel. The pilot attempted to deploy the inflatable floats; however, they did not deploy. The pilot subsequently initiated a ditching, and the helicopter impacted water and rolled inverted. The pilot and passenger egressed the helicopter, which then sank, and the helicopter was not recovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.