Hughes 369D accident near Ellensburg, Washington, September 8, 2007
On September 8, 2007 at about 10:05 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N31HM, was involved in an accident near Ellensburg, Washington (Bowers Filed airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from the rotating main rotor disc while the helicopter was hovering. An uphill terrain condition was a factor
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2007 · about 10:05 pm local time
- Place
- Ellensburg, Washington · Bowers Filed · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N31HM · registry record · serial 1160027D
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the accident, the pilot and the second passenger (a biologist) had flown on numerous missions over the course of more than 20 years. The day of the accident, the flight departed early in the morning for the purpose of relocating bighorn sheep. During the flight, the front left-seated pilot was maneuvering the helicopter, allowing both the gunner (aft left seat) and mugger (aft right seat) to capture the sheep. After capturing 16 sheep, the mission continued toward the achievement of the 20 sheep goal for that day. The crew gunned two sheep in one net, and the pilot maneuvered the helicopter onto the hillside (about a 30-percent grade). He continued toe-ing the helicopter into the hillside with the front skids in contact with terrain and the netted sheep off the right side of the helicopter. The gunner egressed the left side and walked into the rotating main rotor disc, killing himself. The pilot opined that the gunner may have been feeling added pressure and fatigue on the capture. A review of the operator's employee manual disclosed that the operations on the accident flight were in compliance with the manual. However, the manual did not address passenger briefing of egress instructions on a regular basis.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 25,640 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 24,940 as pilot in command; 1,263 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,874 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2007; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250/C2DB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Puyallup WA at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 N31HM 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.