Hughes TH 55 accident near Keene, New Hampshire, March 13, 2019
On March 13, 2019 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1967 Hughes TH 55 (helicopter), registered N8045H, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Keene, New Hampshire (Dillant-Hopkins airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 helicopter’s collision with a bird during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2019 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Keene, New Hampshire · Dillant-Hopkins · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes TH 55 269A, built 1967 · all TH 55s on the register
- Registration
- N8045H · registry record · serial 65-18240
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter pilot reported that, while en route, about 2 miles northeast from his destination airport and about 500 ft above ground level and 60 knots, he heard a loud "thud" from a possible bird strike, and the upper right windscreen/canopy shattered, with pieces going into the main rotor disc and cabin. He continued to the airport and landed without further incident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with 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
- Birdstrike during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 7.1 in the last 30 days; 415 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 6, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,317.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 12,565 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Keene NH at 9:45 pm
- Destination: EEN Keene NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from KLEB, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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 April 2, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | 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 N8045H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8045H on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes TH-55 20 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 387 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dillant/Hopkins Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Hampshire 393 since 1982 · 56 in the last ten years
- New Hampshire 1,565 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8045H 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA19CA168.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.