Hughes 369D accident near Gustavus, Alaska, March 3, 2007
On March 3, 2007 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N5134V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gustavus, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate clearance from a tranquilized moose while hovering in ground effect, and the operator's inadequate procedures for such operations, which resulted in an in-flight collision with the moose. Factors associated with the accident were the moose, a sheared tail rotor drive shaft, and the resultant lack of tail rotor anti-torque control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 2007 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Gustavus, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5134V · registry record · serial 1103D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was being operated as a visual flight rules on-demand passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135. The purpose of the flight was to tranquilize moose for capture and collaring. The company's chief pilot said a moose was shot with a tranquilizer dart from the helicopter, and that the helicopter was used to block the moose from moving into a hazardous area. The pilot of an airplane orbiting above said the moose charged the helicopter, and that as the helicopter attempted to evade the moose, the moose reared, or jumped, contacting the helicopter's tail rotor. The helicopter pilot reported a loss of directional control, and made a hovering autorotation to the ground. The flex coupling between the drive shaft and the tail rotor gearbox failed, and the spinning drive shaft cut the tail boom and separated the tail from the rest of the airframe. According to the chief pilot, the company's practice had been for the helicopter to hover/maneuver about 10 feet above the ground, and no closer to the darted animal than 10 feet horizontally. He said the pilot and scientist aboard felt the distances were appropriate. He said this was the first incident of extreme, erratic, behavior on the part of a darted animal, and that due to this incident, the company has revised its procedure, and now requires the pilot to maintain 30 feet of altitude above the ground and 30 feet horizontally from a darted animal.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 415 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,041 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Temsco Helicopters INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAGS Gustavus AK at 4:30 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.