Mcdonnell Douglas 369FF accident near Lihue, Hawaii, July 16, 2004
On July 16, 2004 at about 2:00 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas 369FF (helicopter), registered N530RL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lihue, Hawaii. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) 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 pilot misjudging the clearance between the tree and the main rotor blades. Contributing factors to the accident were the high workload of the pilot and his lack of experience with bambi bucket operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2004 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Lihue, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas 369FF
- Registration
- N530RL · registry record · serial 0602FF
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The main rotor contacted a tree during firefighting operations. The pilot completed an emergency landing, and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The pilot was maneuvering the helicopter slowly toward a fire, almost in a hovering condition. The pilot's attention was focused on the bucket attached to the helicopter, and the clearance between the bucket and the trees. Just after he initiated the water release, the main rotor blades impacted a tree. The pilot felt that the accident was a result of his focused attention on the bucket and his failure to see the limited clearance between the tree and the main rotor blades. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter, nor were any found during a examination by an FAA inspector. The pilot's total bambi bucket experience was 10 hours, and he dumped 60 buckets over a 2-hour period the day of the accident.
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
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,600 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Aviation International INC
The flight
- Departed from: PAK Hanapepe HI
- Destination: LIH Lihue HI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PHLI
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.
Other NTSB records under N530RL 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.