Hughes 369HS/H-500 accident near Waterloo, Alabama, September 7, 1986
On September 7, 1986, a Hughes 369HS/H-500 (helicopter), registered N9181F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterloo, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1986
- Place
- Waterloo, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS/H-500 369HS/H-50 · all 369HS/H-500s on the register
- Registration
- N9181F · registry record · serial 3405715
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LIFTED OFF THE TOP OF THE SUPPORT TRUCK AND STARTED A TAKEOFF WITH A PARTIAL LOAD OF CHEMICALS TO BE APPLIED TO A LOGGED OVER FOREST AREA. ABOUT 10-15 FEET AFTER LIFT OFF THE PLT DETECTED A LOSS OF ROTOR RPM. HE WAS AT THE EDGE OF A RAVINE WITH STEEP SIDES AND HAD NO LANDING AREA AVAILABLE. HE DESCENDED THE SIDE OF THE RAVINE AND PERFORMED A MODIFIED AUTOROTATION INTO THE TOPS OF THE TREES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RAVINE. THE GROUND SUPPORT MAN REPORTED SEEING A PUFF OF SMOKE AT ABOUT THE TIME THE PLT REPORTED THE POWER LOSS. THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED AND EXAMINED. NO MALFUNCTIONS WERE DISCOVERED WHICH PREVENTED THE ENG FROM RUNNING. THE ENG WAS REMOVED AND SHIPPED TO THE FACTORY WHERE IT WAS RUN IN A TEST CELL. IT PERFORMEDWELL. A RECORDS CHECK REVEALED THAT HE ENG WAS SHIPPED TO BELL HELICOPTER AS A NEW 'O' TIME ENGINE. IT WAS INSTALLED IN THE HUGHES APPROXIMATELY 19 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE INSTALLATION WAS INSPECTED AND APPROVED BY THE FAA.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,787 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 3,845 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,894 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 1986; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C18 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Burgundy Farms INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from MSL, 65 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL86LA251.