Hughes 369D accident near Sulphur, Louisiana, November 7, 2017
On November 7, 2017 at about 3:34 pm local time, a 1981 Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N138WH, was involved in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Sulphur, Louisiana. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 2 people were killed; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate separation between a long line being used to hoist linemen from a shield wire during an external load flight, which resulted in the long line being severed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2017 · about 3:34 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Sulphur, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D D, built 1981 · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N138WH · not in the FAA's current or past register files · serial 911027D
- Damage
- Not recorded
- 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 an external load flight with two linemen hoisted beneath the helicopter on a long line. The pilot reported that, as he maintained a hover over the power lines, the long line contacted the shield wire as one of the linemen held onto a conductor bundle. The long line severed about midspan as the pilot turned the helicopter into the wind and attempted to move the linemen away from the conductor bundle. The two linemen were fatally injured when they fell about 100 ft to the ground. The pilot returned to the landing zone and landed uneventfully. The pilot did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Video footage of the accident confirmed that the helicopter's synthetic long line severed after extended lateral contact with the braided steel shield wire.
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
- External load event (Rotorcraft) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- 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 Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 25,090 hours in all; 11,286 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 21,063 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,595.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 29, 2017; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20R/2 (turboshaft); 9,892 hours total
- Operator: Winco, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Sulphur LA at 3:32 pm
- Destination: Sulphur LA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from UXL, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on August 7, 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 · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Conversation with Rock Palermo on November 7, 2017 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Conversation with Mike Patton on November 8, 2017 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum of Conversation with Mike Patton on July 16, 2019 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Conversation with Matthew Rigsby on July 16, 2019 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Witness Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- Hughes 369 500 series helicopters 123 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 386 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20R/2 24 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Louisiana 1,274 since 1982 · 189 in the last ten years
- Louisiana 3,734 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN18LA026.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.