Hughes 369D accident near Waldorf, Maryland, July 9, 2023
On July 9, 2023 at about 2:27 pm local time, a 1981 Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N5027P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Waldorf, Maryland. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue failure of the overrunning clutch outer race and a subsequent inflight loss of power due to abnormal bending loads as a result of improper reassembly of the clutch subassembly following maintenance and the presence of microcracks on the clutch’s outer race.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2023 · about 2:27 pm local time
- Place
- Waldorf, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D, built 1981 · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5027P · registry record · serial 611002D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew of the helicopter detected an abnormal noise while in cruise flight and the pilot felt a vibration in the collective. The crew chose to discontinue the mission and return to the departure airport; however, about 4 nautical miles from the airport, there was a loud bang/pop noise and the helicopter yawed left. The pilot entered an autorotation and selected a forced landing site adjacent to a pond in a residential area. Home security video captured the final seconds of the flight. The sounds of the helicopter’s engine and the turning main rotor could be heard before the helicopter appeared in the frame, descending steeply in a level attitude. The helicopter dropped from sight behind a house and reappeared just as the helicopter’s nose flared upward and the tail rotor impacted the surface of the pond about the same time. The tailboom was separated by the turning main rotor at or about water contact. The helicopter’s skids impacted the fence that bordered the pond, and the helicopter subsequently came to rest upright. The engine, which continued to run briefly, was shut down by the pilot and the damaged main rotor blades stopped turning. The crewmembers egressed the helicopter without assistance. Examination of the helicopter revealed the overrunning clutch outer race’s splined shaft had fractured, which disconnected engine power from the main transmission. Examination of the fracture surface showed signatures consistent with fatigue. The examination of the disassembled clutch subassembly revealed off-axis and asymmetric wear, indicating that the overrunning clutch was likely reassembled improperly after its last inspection, which occurred about three months and 22 flight hours before the accident. Additionally, secondary microcracks were observed on the shaft portion of the clutch outer race's splined shaft that likely occurred during its manufacture. The improper reassembly of the clutch subassembly following the inspection likely resulted in abnormal loading of the clutch outer race shaft during operation. This abnormal loading, in addition to the preexisting microcracks, initiated fatigue cracking of the clutch outer race, resulting in its failure during the accident flight.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor drive › Engine/transmission coupling › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › Equipment manufacture › Manufacturer
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,012 hours in all; 1,094 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,954 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 19, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,799.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 7, 2023; 116.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 9,150 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2W5 Indian Head MD at 12:13 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KDAA, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDAA 081655Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 31/23 A2984 RMK AO2 SLP107 T03080229 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on June 4, 2025. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5027P 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.