Hughes 369D accident near Near Bornite, Alaska, July 28, 1982
On July 28, 1982 at about 10:30 am local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N820Y, was destroyed in an accident near Near Bornite, Alaska ((Remote Field Site)). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 1982 · about 10:30 am local time
- Place
- Near Bornite, Alaska · (Remote Field Site)
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N820Y · no longer on the register · serial 900797D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO WORKERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO A MINE DRILLING SITE WHERE THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED ON A MAN-MADE HELI-PAD. THE HELI-PAD WAS AN AREA ABOUT 50 FT LONG AND 12 FT WIDE THAT HAD BEEN CUT INTO THE SIDE OF A ROCKY HILL. AFTER OFF-LOADING THE WORKERS, THE PILOT TOOK OFF, THEN RETURNED A SHORT TIME LATER WITH A 300 GAL STORAGE TANK ON A LONG LINE. AFTER THE TANK WAS LOWERED INTO POSITION, THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED AT THE END OF THE PAD UNTIL THE LINE WAS RELEASED. AS THE PILOT TOOK OFF AGAIN, HE LIFTED OFF AND WAS AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 3 TO 5 FT WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE ROCKY EMBANKMENT ON THE UPSLOPE SIDE OF THE HELI-PAD. REPORTEDLY. THE HELICOPTER THEN WENT INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE SPIN AND TUMBLED ABOUT 300 FT DOWN THE HILL. ONE OF THE WORKERS WAS FATALLY INJURED BY A PIECE OF FLYING DEBRIS.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,851 hours in all; 247 in this make and model; 247 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 906 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Near Bornite AK at 10:30 am
- Destination: Near Bornite AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.