Hughes 369D accident near Newark, Delaware, November 25, 1986
On November 25, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N8670F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newark, Delaware. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8670F · no longer on the register · serial 168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN ON A MAINTENANCE CHECK FLT. AS THE PLT WAS RETURNING TO LAND, THE ENG LOST POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. DURING AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES & TAIL BOOM WERE EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. THE PLT RPRTD THE FUEL QUANTITY GAGE INDICATED THAT 120 LBS OF FUEL WAS REMAINING WHEN THE ENG LOST POWER. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL FLOAT ARM, PN 369D296303-3, REVEALED IT WAS BENT & WAS BINDING ON THE INTERNAL FUEL PUMP HOUSING.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 1986; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 5,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.