Hughes 369D accident near Montrose, Colorado, December 6, 2000
On December 6, 2000 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N411SM, was destroyed in an accident near Montrose, Colorado. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the foreign object damage to a main rotor blade, while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 2000 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Montrose, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N411SM · registry record · serial 600743D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was engaged in an animal capture program. The pilot said that the net-gunner had deployed a net over a deer, when he felt the helicopter began to "shake violently." He said that the helicopter was approximately 10 feet off the ground; he landed it with 10 to 15 knots of forward speed. After sliding approximately 10 feet, the pilot heard a loud bang, and the aircraft rolled right and forward. The helicopter came to rest on its left side with its right landing skid broken. Postaccident examination of the helicopter's main rotor blades revealed that one blade had leading edge damage that corresponded in size to a missing net weight.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 5,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,392 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 115°F (46°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MTJ, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.