Hughes 369HS accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, June 2, 1990
On June 2, 1990, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N436DS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF POWER FOR AN UNKNOWN CAUSE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1990
- Place
- Las Cruces, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N436DS · registry record · serial 6304879
- 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
AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ALTITUDE, FOLLOWING PICKUP OF A PASSENGER FROM A REMOTE MOUNTAIN SITE, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT CONDUCTED AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING ONTO THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. ON LANDING, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED DOWN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN AND CAME TO REST FACING UP SLOPE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND WERE MEDICACED TO MEDICAL FACILITIES. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THERE WAS NO FIRE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,900 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 9,357 as pilot in command; 250 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,743 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 30, 1990; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE El Paso TX at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.