Hughes 369D accident near Estes Park, Colorado, April 2, 2003
On April 2, 2003 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N56SM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Estes Park, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain clearance from terrain. Factors include the high density altitude and the pilot-in-command's improper in-flight planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 2003 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Estes Park, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N56SM · registry record · serial 380287D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said they were capturing bighorn sheep with a net canon. He said he was pursuing a group of animals up rising terrain (11,200 feet) when his rotor speed began to deteriorate. He tried to turn the helicopter around, but hit the ground breaking the helicopter's right skid. Subsequently, the aircraft rolled over onto its right side, and its main rotor blades separated from the helicopter. The density altitude at the time of the accident was calculated to be 13,068 feet.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 24, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,478.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 2003; 33.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Estes Park CO at 10:30 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.47 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.