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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2017 · about 3:34 pm local time
- 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 · no longer on the register · 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 |
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 | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Conversation with Rock Palermo on November 7, 2017 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Conversation with Mike Patton on November 8, 2017 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum of Conversation with Mike Patton on July 16, 2019 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Conversation with Matthew Rigsby on July 16, 2019 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Witness Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.