Hughes 369B accident near Jenner, California, July 2, 1982
On July 2, 1982 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Hughes 369B (helicopter), registered N1108T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jenner, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1982 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jenner, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369B · all 369Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1108T · registry record · serial 611000D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
HELICOPTER WAS ON ROUTINE POLICE PATROL WHEN ENGINE FAILED AND IT AUTOROTATED TO A ROUGH LANDING ON A ROCKY BEACH. THE 1ST STAGE OF THE GAS PRODUCER SECTION OF THE TURBINE WAS FOUND FROZEN. THE TURBINE WHEEL BLADES WERE RUBBING & SEIZED TO THE 1ST STAGE TURBINE SHROUD OF THE 2ND STAGE NOZZLE ASS'Y. PIECES OF THE TURBINE BLADE'S TRAILING EDGE TIPS WERE MISSING & THERE WAS A METAL BUILDUP ON THE 2ND STAGE NOZZLE BLADE TRACK AREA. DURING DISASSEMBLY THE 1ST STAGE WHEEL HAD TO BE FORCED APART TO BREAK IT LOOSE OF THE 2ND STAGE NOZZLE. FRACTURES OF THE BLADE TIPS APPEARED TO BE CAUSED BY ELEVATED TEMPERATURE CREEP RESULTING FROM EITHER TRANSIENT OVERTEMPERATURE OR OVERSPEED CONDITIONS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,086 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 6,545 as pilot in command; 1,817 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 463 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sondma County Sheriff
The flight
- Departed from: C Santa Rosa CA at 12:20 pm
- Destination: C Santa Rosa CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 325° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N1108T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX82FA247.