Hughes 369HS accident near Pacific Ocean, PO, December 30, 1999
On December 30, 1999 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N9162F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pacific Ocean, PO. It was an aerial observation 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 pilot's decision to takeoff downwind and the subsequent failure to achieve translational lift before contact with the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 1999 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pacific Ocean, PO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N9162F · no longer on the register · serial 830512S
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot took off from the fishing vessel with a tail wind and the helicopter settled into the water in a tail low attitude. The main rotor blades contacted the tail boom and the tail rotor contacted the water. The helicopter was equipped with permanent floats and remained in an upright position. No discrepancies were found during examination of the engine.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,010 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 1999; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C10D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 194°F (90°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.