Hughes 369D accident near Iliamna, Alaska, September 11, 1991
On September 11, 1991 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N29JV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska. It was a business flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION DUE TO THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH AND UNEVEN TUNDRA LANDING SITE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1991 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D 369-D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N29JV · registry record · serial 500715D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE AT 200 FEET MSL, THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE HELICOPTER CRASHED ON THE TUNDRA. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER FUEL SYSTEMS REVEALED THE FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,704 hours in all; 4,215 in this make and model; 251 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 13,653 as pilot in command; 2,275 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,796 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 1991; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Johnson Creek AK at 11:25 am
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.