Hughes 369HS accident near Ventura, California, September 4, 1983
On September 4, 1983 at about 10:15 am local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N8500N, was destroyed in an accident near Ventura, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1983 · about 10:15 am local time
- Place
- Ventura, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N8500N · no longer on the register · serial 1000263S
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING 'STRAIGHT DOWN' & 'NOSE FIRST.' THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 200 YDS OFFSHORE IN ABOUT 30 FT OF WATER. WITNESSES STATED THAT IT WAS DARK & HAZY. THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE ACFT LIGHTS, BUT NOT THE STARS. THE PLT DID NOT HOLD A ROTORCRAFT HELICOPTER RATING. ACCORDING TO ACQUAINTANCES, THE NIGHT OVER-WATER FLIGHT WAS HABITUAL FOR THE PLT, WHO FLEW BETWEEN HIS TWO BUSINESSES IN VENTURA, CA & GOLETA, CA.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jaime Font & Mbk,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA
- Destination: OXR Oxnard CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from NTD, 19 miles away
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.