Hughes 369D accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, December 8, 1984
On December 8, 1984 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N5124X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spanish Fork, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 8, 1984 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5124X · no longer on the register · serial 911099D
- 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
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF PLT FELT SHUTTER IN ACFT AND NOTICED A RISE IN THE TURBINE OUTLET TEMP. PLT HEARD LOW WHINE OF HIGH PITCH NOISE IN ENGINE. ENGINE CHIP DETECTOR LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE OUT LIGHT AND HORN AND OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT. AUTOROTATION MADE TO OPENING AT BOTTOM OF CANYON. ON TOUCHDOWN ACFT SLID FORWARD IN 1 FT DEEP SNOW, RT SKID COLLAPSED AND HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE. INSPECTION REVEALED EVIDENCE OF OIL STARVATION IN TURBINE AND COMPRESSOR SECTIONS. TURBINE BEARINGS FAILED, GEARBOX BEARINGS BORE EVIDENCE OF HIGH HEAT DISTORTION AND OIL STARVATION WAS EVIDENT IN COMPRESSOR BEARINGS. LUBRICATION SYSTEM COMPONENTS WERE CHECKED AND OPERATED NORMALLY. A 1 1/8 IN DISK OF GASKET LIKE MATERIAL WAS FOUND IN OIL RESERVOIR. DISK WAS SIMILIAR TO THOSE IN CAPS ON QUARTS OF OIL. DISK WAS SAME SIZE AS OPENING TO OIL PUMP AND ENGINE. WHEN PLACED OVER OPENING OIL FLOW FROM TANK TO ENGINE WAS BLOCKED. EXTRA QTS OF OIL OFTEN WERE ON BOARD ACFT SO PLT COULD ASS OIL IF REQUIRED.
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; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 155 in the last 90 days; 9,725 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 983 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 30, 1984; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PUC Price UT at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from PVU, 22 miles away
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.