Hughes 369D accident near Lake City, Kansas, March 25, 2021
On March 25, 2021 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1978 Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N41AJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Lake City, Kansas. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during power line maintenance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2021 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D, built 1978 · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N41AJ · registry record · serial 480299D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while hovering near power lines, for the purpose of installing bird diverters, a gust of wind pushed the helicopter “into the OPGW wire.” The pilot repositioned the helicopter away from the wire and then saw it fly up and into the rotor system. He immediately started a controlled landing and safely landed the helicopter. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to all five rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the helicopter before the wire strike that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the helicopter operator is adding local weather stations to augment reported weather when the flight crews are working in remote areas. Additionally, for skid operations, the operator has restricted the steady state wind and gust spreads by zone for the helicopter.
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
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 22,704 hours in all; 880 in this make and model; 22,350 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 13, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,579 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 26, 2021
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20 (turboshaft); 1,029 hours total
- Operator: English Air Service LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PTT Pratt KS at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 345° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 44°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 27.78 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 am from PTT, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 27, 2021. 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 | Photo Array | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | 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.