Hughes 369HS accident near Evansville, Minnesota, October 21, 2003
On October 21, 2003 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N49TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Evansville, Minnesota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of clearance from the surface of the lake during the aerial application pass. The low altitude operation, glassy water, and his visual perception were contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2003 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Evansville, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N49TJ · registry record · serial 550747S
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with a lake while conducting an aerial application pass. The local flight was operating from a temporary load site near the lake shoreline. The pilot stated: "The conditions were calm winds, sun coming up over the trees to the east, glassy water condition. During the spray run I must [have] lost my depth perception with the water surface and allowed the skids to contact the water. The aircraft decelerated rapidly ... [and] water came up over the bubble as the aircraft pitched forward." The pilot also noted that he should have "looked at the trees along the shoreline for a vertical reference instead of at the water. With glassy water it is hard to judge distance." He reported there were no malfunctions with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,588 hours in all; 1,230 in this make and model; 154 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 6,488 as pilot in command; 710 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 4, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,394 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 19, 2003; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N/A Lake Christina MN at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from AXN, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.