Hughes 369D accident near Meeker, Colorado, May 2, 1984
On May 2, 1984 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N1090A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meeker, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 1984 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Meeker, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1090A · no longer on the register · serial 410953D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING SLOW (35-40 KTS) CRUISE FLT AT ABOUT 50 FT AGL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN FOR WILDLIFE SURVEY, PWR LOSS OCCURRED. AUTO SYSTEMS BRIEFLY RESTORED PWR, FOLLOWED BY A TTL LOSS. PLT EXECUTED EMERGENCY AUTOROTATION INTO TREES ON SLOPING TERRAIN. INVESTIGATION ESTABLISHED FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRAL, AUTO IGNITION FUNCTIONAL AND ENGINE AIR INTAKE CLEAR. ON FUNCTIONAL TEST, ENGINE PERFORMED TO SPECIFICATIONS.
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: single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,482 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,390 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1984; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V3 Meeker CO at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from EGE, 76 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.