Hughes 369 accident near Dennis, West Virginia, June 23, 2017
On June 23, 2017 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 1980 Hughes 369 (helicopter), registered N765KV, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Dennis, West Virginia. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unporting of fuel due to the helicopter's nose-up attitude during long line operations, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2017 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Dennis, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369 E, built 1980 · all 369s on the register
- Registration
- N765KV · registry record · serial 0082E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting long line operations in the helicopter, and he was flying it in an aft or left attitude with a higher nose-up attitude than normal flight to compensate for the load's drag. He then transitioned the helicopter to a 100-ft hover over a landing zone, and shortly thereafter, the helicopter experienced a total loss of engine power. Subsequently, the pilot initiated an autorotation, and during the landing, a main rotor blade contacted and severed the tailboom. Postaccident wreckage examination, which included a successful test-run of the engine, did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. However, when the helicopter was positioned nose up with the remaining fuel onboard (about 7 gallons in each tank), the low fuel light illuminated. The two fuel tanks were connected by an interconnect passage, and each tank had an internal baffle. The fuel pickup was located in the right front portion of the left fuel tank. Given that the low fuel light illuminated when the helicopter was positioned nose up, it is likely that the helicopter's nose-up attitude during the long line operation led to the unporting of the remaining fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation. The operator's risk assessment form required that pilots land the helicopter with at least about 14.7 gallons of fuel remaining for long line operations. After the accident, the operator amended its risk assessment form to require the same fuel requirement as side pull operations (about 37 gallons of fuel remaining upon landing) for long line operations.
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
- Fuel starvation during maneuvering
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Autorotation Hard landing
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,325 hours in all; 2,556 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 4,282 as pilot in command; 1,486 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 30, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,285 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 2017; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250 C20B (turboshaft); 3,567 hours total
- Operator: Haverfield International INC
The flight
- Departed from: Dennis WV at 4:15 pm
- Destination: Dennis WV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from LWB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 28, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Additional Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Interview Summaries | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N765KV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.