Hughes 369 accident near McDougal, AR
On November 2, 2018, a Hughes 369 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near McDougal, AR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 2, 2018
- Place
- McDougal, AR
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.437°N, 90.453°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181102X60245
Official records · CEN19FA020
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 2, 2018 about 1315 central daylight time, a Hughes 369D helicopter, N5187S, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near McDougal, Arkansas. The pilot was fatally injured, and the two linemen sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load operation. The helicopter had departed from a grass landing zone after a lunch break with two linemen tethered to the helicopter for short haul operations in connection with utility line work to decommission power line structures. Figure 1: Main Wreckage and Landing Zone Locations One of the linemen stated he was in communication with the pilot via a Bluetooth communication system to coordinate his placement on the utility pole. The pilot was hovering the helicopter next to the power line structure when they heard a "loud boom" and "metallic crunch" and the crews' short haul lines were released from the helicopter. The helicopter descended and impacted the ground beneath the structure. The lineman stated that the pilot typically had a calm demeanor during operations; however, before the pole strike, the pilot was not calm and hesitated in responding to the lineman's communications. The lineman said the helicopter was "getting choppy and moving around a lot" when he was attaching to the utility pole, but he did not look up at the helicopter. He could see the helicopter shadow on the ground and saw the tail "darting around." PERSONNEL INFORMATIONNarrative personal information place holder AIRCRAFT INFORMATION Note: Re-registration of
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain the helicopter's clearance from the powerline structure while hovering in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent collision with the structure and an uncontrolled descent into terrain.
More accidents in AR
- Beech 65-A80, May 16, 2005
- Cessna 208B, Apr 28, 2001
- Piper PA-23-250, Nov 17, 2002
- Grumman G1159, Jan 19, 1990
- Piper PA-31-350, May 8, 2005
Browse: Arkansas · 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.
