Hughes 369D accident near Ellensburg, WA
On September 8, 2007, a Hughes 369D (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Ellensburg, WA. 1 person died.
- Date
- September 8, 2007
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- —
- Position
- 46.822°N, 120.440°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070919X01416
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 08, 2007, about 1505 Pacific daylight time, a Hughes 369D, N31HM, was hovering on a hillside of the Yakima river canyon in Ellensburg, Washington, when the passenger egressed the helicopter and contacted the main rotor disc. Northwest Helicopters, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a sheep relocating mission for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; the second passenger was killed. The helicopter was not damaged. The local flight originally departed from Puyallup, Washington, about 0630. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. During a telephone interview with a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, the pilot stated that prior to the accident he and the second passenger, a WDFW biologist, had flown on numerous missions over the course of more than 20 years. The day of the accident, the flight departed early in the morning for the purpose of relocating bighorn sheep. The doors on the left side of the helicopter were removed, enabling the passengers to egress from that side and walk around the nose to the right side, if the situation necessitated such positioning. The front left-seated pilot was maneuvering the helicopter in the Yakima area, and both the gunner (aft left seat) and mugger (aft right seat) where to capture sheep. Thereafter the pilot would then land to refuel, shutting down the helicopter at each fueling. The pilot further stated that afte
Probable cause
The passenger's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from the rotating main rotor disc while the helicopter was hovering. An uphill terrain condition was a factor
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Browse: Washington · Hughes aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
