Hughes 369E N757TB

Summary

On 27 December 2023 at about 17:59 local time, a Hughes 369E registered N757TB was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 2023 at 17:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Miami, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Miami Exec (TMB)

Coordinates

25.6505, -80.4978

Aircraft

Hughes 369E

Registration

N757TB

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Myers → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24FA075

1 person died.

Main rotor contact with the tail boom for unknown reasons, resulting in the separation of the tail boom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were returning to their home airport after dropping off a family member at another airport. The passenger stated that the helicopter yawed to the right and began to spin out of control immediately before the accident. The helicopter descended and impacted into a canal, where it was located in about 20 ft of water. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed evidence of main rotor contact with the tail boom, resulting the separation of a portion of the tail boom in flight. Separation of the tail boom, and the resultant loss of tail rotor thrust, would lead to a sudden right yaw, consistent with the passenger’s description. There was no evidence of a malfunction of the main rotor system, flight control system, or a loss of engine power that could have resulted in the main rotor’s contact with the tail boom. Because the helicopter was not equipped with, nor was required to be equipped with, a flight data recorder or a cockpit image recorder, the pilot’s flight control inputs leading up to the main rotor’s contact with the tail boom is unknown.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.