Hughes 369D accident near Cordova, Alaska, July 24, 1993
On July 24, 1993 at about 4:45 am local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N3115Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cordova, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WAS THE ROUGH/UNEVEN TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1993 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Cordova, 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
- N3115Y · no longer on the register · serial 500716D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE HOVERING WITH JUST THE TOES OF THE SKIDS AGAINST THE APPROXIMATE 45 DEGREE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, A LOAD THUMP WAS HEARD AND FELT BY THE PILOT AND PASSENGER AND THE HELICOPTER SETTLED BACKWARDS WITH THE TAIL COMING TO REST ON THE GROUND. THE PILOT SAID HE EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN THE HOVER. THE ENGINE LATER OPERATED NORMALLY ON A TEST STAND. THE CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,445 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 12, 1993; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 350-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Soloy Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Local Campt AK at 11:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.