Md Helicopters Inc 369FF accident near Mojave, CA
On March 9, 2026, a Md Helicopters Inc 369FF (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Mojave, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 9, 2026
- Place
- Mojave, CA
- Aircraft
- Md Helicopters Inc 369FF · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.038°N, 118.264°W
- NTSB ID
- 20260309202626
NTSB summary
On March 9, 2026, about 1517 Pacific daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369FF, N530XX, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mojave, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load flight. The helicopter was performing power line rope stringing operations between steel power transmission poles within a wind farm located in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains, about 6 miles west of Mojave. The helicopter was equipped with a side hook mounted to the left side of the airframe just below the aft door, which was attached to a stringing rope. The operation required that the pilot maneuver the rope onto pulley blocks located at the end of the power pole cross arms. Depending on the location and type of block used, the pilot would either maneuver the rope into position unaided or have a technician in the bucket of a boom lift truck guide the rope in by hand. The pilot had been flying since about 0730 that morning, and in the time leading up to the accident, he had performed multiple uneventful stringing operations. For the accident flight, the pilot planned to guide a 600 ft length of rope into a stringing block mounted about 110 ft above ground level (agl), with the aid of a technician in the bucket. The boom truck operator and bucket technician were both in position as the helicopter lifted the rope which was already strung from a power pole about 600 ft south. Both reported that operations up to that point were normal, and the helicopter was in a vertical climb, clear of o
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · 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.
