Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E accident near Jackson, Kentucky, July 29, 2013
On July 29, 2013 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E, registered N1608D, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Jackson, Kentucky. It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The helicopter pilot's inadvertent collision with an unmarked and uncharted utility wire of which he was unaware.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2013 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N1608D · no longer on the register · serial 0434E
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An unmarked and uncharted wire extended between two ridges, the last remaining wire of several that had provided utilities to a mine that was no longer in operation. The pilot did not see the wire and was flying the helicopter between the two ridges, about 500 feet above the valley floor, when the main rotor head contacted the utility wire. The pilot initiated an emergency descent but he had limited control of the helicopter, and it collided with the valley floor. A postcrash fire consumed the wreckage. Because the mine had been closed for a long time, no one had reported the utility wire to the Federal Aviation Administration for addition on the appropriate aeronautical chart.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Availability of related info
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 12, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 7,965 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LOZ London KY at 2:15 pm
- Destination: LOZ London KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from JKL, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.