MD Helicopters MD-369 accident near Orchard Lake, Michigan, September 3, 2018
On September 3, 2018 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1987 MD Helicopters MD-369, registered N1601Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Orchard Lake, Michigan (Mcphail Heliport airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 helicopter control and terrain clearance while in a hover after performing an evasive maneuver to avoid wildlife.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2018 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Orchard Lake, Michigan · Mcphail Heliport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopters MD-369 E, built 1987
- Registration
- N1601Y · no longer on the register · serial 0216E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter departed from a wheeled helicopter transportation dolly at the pilot's private heliport and came to an in-ground-effect hover. The pilot indicated that as he was maneuvering the helicopter to the right of the dolly at a hover, a flock of Canada geese "came flying in to the front and right" of the helicopter. The pilot reported "quickly moving" the helicopter back to the right to avoid the birds; that was the last action he could remember until after the impact. The helicopter came to rest on its left side with the main rotor blades separated from the main rotor hub and the tail rotor gearbox separated from the tailboom. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's private heliport was near a lake where Canada geese are known to congregate. It is likely that, while in a hover and attempting to avoid the birds by performing an evasive maneuver, the pilot failed to maintain helicopter control and terrain clearance.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,942 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 2,942 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7MI1 Orchard Lake MI at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 7MI1 Orchard Lake MI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 8:38 pm from KPTK, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on June 18, 2020. 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 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | NTSB Party Member Forms | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Md Helicopters Operational Safety Notice OSN2019-002 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Usda Living with Wildlife Canada Geese | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N1601Y 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.