Hughes 369D accident near Villa Grove, Colorado, August 10, 2017
On August 10, 2017 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1979 Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N58424, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Villa Grove, Colorado. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain main rotor clearance from a power line tower during low-level maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2017 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Villa Grove, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D, built 1979 · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N58424 · no longer on the register · serial 1090593D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting external load operations in the helicopter to assist power line construction. While maneuvering the helicopter away from a tower at low altitude, the pilot flew the helicopter to the right while planning on backing up at the same time. The helicopter's speed to the right was faster than he had planned. Subsequently, the helicopter's main rotor hit a tower before it came into the pilot's view, and the helicopter then impacted terrain. The pilot reported that the helicopter did not have any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Given the pilot's statement, it is likely that he was not adequately monitoring the environment during low-level maneuvering among power line towers and failed to see a tower before the main rotors hit it.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,500 hours in all; 16,000 in this make and model; 67.3 in the last 90 days; 50.5 in the last 30 days; 18,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 8, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250 C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Patrol Helicopters Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Villa Grove CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from KALS, 49 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on May 1, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.