Hughes 369D accident near Makakilo, Hawaii, January 19, 1985
On January 19, 1985, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N211EH, was destroyed in an accident near Makakilo, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people had minor injuries. 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
- January 19, 1985
- Place
- Makakilo, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N211EH · no longer on the register · serial 380288D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON AN AIR TAXI FLT, AFTER LANDING AT A PREARRANGED SITE THE PLT SIGNALED TO HIS 3 PAX TO BOARD THE HELICOPTER. AS THE PAX ATTEMPTED TO BOARD FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ACFT, THE ROTOR BLADES WENT OUT OF TRACK/PHASE. THE ACFT BEGAN UNCONTROLLABLE BOUNCING UP AND DOWN, & THE PAX FLED. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE, COLLIDED WITH A NEARBY FENCE, & ROLLED OVER. ALL 5 BLADES WERE FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT. EXAM OF THE SWASH PLATE, STRAP PACK & MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY REVEALED EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD FAILURES. NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF A ROTOR BLADE TO FENCE STRIKE WAS FOUND INDEPENDENT OF THE EVENT WHICH OCCURRED WHEN THE UNCONTROLLED ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE FENCE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,752 hours in all; 210 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,647 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 18, 1984; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Royal Helicopters INC
The flight
- Departed from: Honolulu HI
- Destination: Makakilo HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 2 knots, gusting 3
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N211EH 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.