Hughes 369D accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1994
On August 28, 1994 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N5027P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 malfunction of the emergency fuel vent and the exhaustion of the fuel supply which resulted in the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1994 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5027P · registry record · serial 611002D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was overflying wooded terrain at 1000 feet msl when the engine lost power. He autorotated to a hilly field and during the landing the rotor blade severed the tailboom. According to the pilot, the fuel low warning light did not activate before the power loss occurred. The examination of the helicopter revealed the fuel tanks were empty and the fuel emergency vent valve had malfunctioned. As a result, the fuel cell decavitated and collasped, holding the fuel quantity probe in a position to indicate a one-quarter tank amount of fuel.
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, foreign licence, student
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 640 hours in all; 268 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 557 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,139 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 1994; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6W7 Gettysburg PA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 2G7 New Castle Muni PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:32 pm from BTP
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.
Other NTSB records under N5027P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.