MD Helicopters INC 369E accident near Thomas, West Virginia, October 30, 2010
On October 30, 2010 at about 2:30 pm local time, a MD Helicopters INC 369E, registered N765WH, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Thomas, West Virginia. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to clear the helicopter and its external load from surrounding structures and his failure to execute a timely release of the external load, which resulted in an inadvertent entanglement and collision with wires and terrain. Contributing to the lineman's fatal injury was his position outside of the helicopter during the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 30, 2010 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Thomas, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopters INC 369E · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N765WH · no longer on the register · serial 0600E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot transitioned the helicopter to pick up three linemen who were working from the peak of a 100-foot-tall transmission tower. Before the linemen boarded the helicopter (two were in the helicopter and one was on the skid), they secured their equipment to the external load grappling hook suspended 50 feet below the helicopter. The pilot positioned the helicopter adjacent to the tower structure between the two sets of electrical conductors, with the grappling hook and the linemen's equipment suspended below. As the pilot attempted to maneuver the helicopter clear of the tower, it paused, and then began to shake before the helicopter contacted wires on the opposite end of the tower and impacted the ground under power. Both of the linemen who were seated in the helicopter before it impacted the ground incurred minor injuries; the lineman standing on the helicopter's skid was fatally injured. The pilot did not attempt to release the external load at any point during the accident sequence, and postaccident testing of the system revealed no anomalies. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter. Examination of the power transmission tower and external-load sling revealed evidence consistent with entanglement of the external load with the tower's structure. Immediate compliance with the operator's recommended procedure of jettisoning the external load in the event of an emergency (actual or perceived) would have provided an opportunity for the pilot to have prevented the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- External load event (Rotorcraft) during maneuvering (hover)
- Miscellaneous/other during maneuvering (hover)
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Passenger
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,682 hours in all; 282 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 393 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 23, 2010; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20R/2 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Winco Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Thomas WV
- Destination: Thomas WV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from EKN, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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.