MD Helicopters INC 369FF accident near Ceiba, Puerto Rico, April 9, 2024
On April 9, 2024 at about 1:45 pm local time, a 1999 MD Helicopters INC 369FF, registered N5841Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Ceiba, Puerto Rico (Jose Aponte de la Torre airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots’ failure to ensure adequate clearance from the taxiway while performing a quick stop maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2024 · about 1:45 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Ceiba, Puerto Rico · Jose Aponte de la Torre · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- MD Helicopters INC 369FF, built 1999 · all 369FFs on the register
- Registration
- N5841Z · registry record · serial 0135FF
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident pilot was new to the company, and he and the chief pilot were practicing quick stop maneuvers in the helicopter. The pilots reported that while performing a quick stop maneuver over a taxiway, they heard a noise before the nose of the helicopter began turning right and the skids touched down. Postaccident examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that its horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. Photographs of the horizontal stabilizer and tail rotor displayed signatures consistent with both contacting the ground during the quick stop maneuver. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (hover) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,780 hours in all; 4.5 in this make and model; 94.9 in the last 90 days; 36.9 in the last 30 days; 1,740 as pilot in command; 20 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 29, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 12, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,562.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 26, 2024; 55.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce RR250-C30 (turboshaft); 803 hours total
- Operator: Luma Energy Servco, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TJSJ San Juan PR at 12:45 pm
- Destination: TJRU Ceiba PR
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from TJNR
Weather report (METAR): TJNR 091353Z AUTO 06010G16KT 10SM BKN028 OVC036 26/21 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP183 T02610211 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of the helicopter at the accident site.
Photograph 2 – View of damage to the horizontal stabilizer.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 8, 2024. 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, 22 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� 6120.1 Form Clarification | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5841Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Md Helicopters Inc 369 108 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rolls Royce RR250-C30 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jose Aponte DE LA Torre Airport · nearest airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Puerto Rico 282 since 1982 · 33 in the last ten years
- Puerto Rico 493 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA24LA172.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.