Hughes 369D accident near Mesa, Arizona, July 18, 1984
On July 18, 1984 at about 6:57 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N58369, was destroyed in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- July 18, 1984 · about 6:57 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N58369 · no longer on the register · serial 1200848D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A MAIN ROTOR DRIVE SYSTEM DISCONNECT, AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT & SUBSEQUENT INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN IN A HILLY DESERT AREA. THIS WAS THE THIRD & LAST IN A PLANNED SERIES OF MARKETING DEMO FLTS CONDUCTED FOR THREE USMC OFFICERS. DURING THE POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF OVER-RUNNING CLUTCH COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT THE CAGES & SPRAGS WERE BOUND UP IN THEIR NORMAL ENGAGED POSITIONS. TWO OF THE THREE DRAG STRIPS WERE OBSERVED TO HAVE ABRASION SIGNATURES ACROSS THEIR ENTIRE WIDTH OF .07 INCHES; THE ABRASION AREAS GENERALLY MATCHED THE GEOMETRY OF THE ADJACENT BALL BEARING RACE. EXAMINATION OF ENGINEERING DRAWINGS FOR THE CLUTCH REVEALED THAT FOR THE DRAG STRIP TO CONTACT THE ADJACENT BEARING RACE, THE CLUTCH WOULD HAVE TO PROTRUDE OUT OF ITS NORMAL RELATIVE POSITION BY ABOUT .20 INCHES. HEAVY OXIDATION OBSCURED THE POTENTIAL RELATIVE RUNNING POSITION MARKINGS BETWEEN THE INNER & OUTER RACES.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,004 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,802 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 469 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 25, 1984; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 6:48 pm
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from FFZ, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.