Hughes 369D accident near Near Tanana, Alaska, April 11, 1982
On April 11, 1982 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N11058, was destroyed in an accident near Near Tanana, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. 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
- April 11, 1982 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Near Tanana, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N11058 · no longer on the register · serial 210901D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON A SNOW COVERED MOUNTAIN SLOPE WHILE IN A STEEP LEFT BANK/NOSE LOW TURN. THE 1754 AST WEATHER AT TANANA, AK (19 NM SSE) WAS, IN PART: 1800 FT BROKEN, 3500 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 7 MI WITH LIGHT SNOW, WIND 320 DEG AT 18 KTS. FLIGHT ADVISORIES WERE POSTED FOR SOME TURBULENCE IN THE AREA, AND THERE WERE STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENTS WHICH WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY LOW LEVEL WINDS. SNOW AND SNOW SHOWERS PERSISTED IN THE AREA WELL BEYOND THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE CRASH. THE ELEVATION OF THE AIRPORT AT TANANA WAS 227 FT MSL, THE CRASH SITE WAS AT ABOUT 2550 FT MSL. DURING AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE, NO PREIMPACT FAILURES WERE FOUND.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,954 hours in all; 963 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 653 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tundra Copters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Banddanack AK at 4:50 pm
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from TAL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.