Md Helicopter 369 accident near Houston, TX
On May 2, 2020, a Md Helicopter 369 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Houston, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 2, 2020
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Aircraft
- Md Helicopter 369 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.947°N, 95.396°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200502X73540
Official records · CEN20LA167
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 2, 2020, about 0203 central daylight time, a MD 369E helicopter, N8375F, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas. The pilot sustained serious injuries, and the tactical flight officer sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 public aircraft flight. The pilot reported that, before the flight, he performed and completed a preflight examination of the helicopter, a review of the maintenance records, a check of the weather conditions, and a safety assessment. The pilot stated that no anomalies or concerns were found. About 0104, the helicopter departed from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas, and began a patrol flight over the city of Houston. The pilot noted that, when flying over a scene, his normal procedure was to make right turns to orbit the scene to provide the tactical flight officer with, and allow the forward-looking infrared camera to capture, the best view of the scene. The pilot also noted that he generally flew the helicopter at an airspeed of at least 30 knots while orbiting. The helicopter had successfully flown over several scenes before it approached a scene near the accident location and began orbiting to the right. The helicopter was completing its second orbit when it began an uncommanded rotation to the right. The pilot recalled that, just before the helicopter began to rotate, he felt a “strong vibration” in the controls. The pilot did not recall the helicopter’s airspeed at the time, and he did not hear any unusual sounds or wa
Probable cause
An uncommanded right yaw that occurred for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence, which resulted in a loss control.
More accidents in TX
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Browse: Texas · Md 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.
