Hughes 369D accident near Lemon Cove, California, January 18, 1987
On January 18, 1987 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N1107N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lemon Cove, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1987 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lemon Cove, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1107N · registry record · serial 210902D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHILE AT 100 TO 150 FT AGL ON AN APCH TO LAND, THE ENG LOST PWR AS THOUGH IT HAD FLAMED OUT. HE ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE HELIPAD. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER LANDED IN TREES & WAS BADLY DMGD. DRG THE INVESTIGATION, THE ENG WAS REMOVED FM THE AIRFRAME & OPERATIONALLY CHECKED, BUT NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR THE PWR LOSS. DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENG REVEALED SVRL DISCREPANCIES, BUT NONE OF WHICH WOULD HAVE SINGULARLY RESULTED IN A FLAME-OUT. AN EXAM OF THE ENG'S INTERNAL COMBUSTION LINER REVEALED AN OVERTEMP BLISTER, CRACKS ON THE FLANGE & NON- APPROVED WELDS; A REQD MOD OF THE LINER WASN'T COMPLETED. THE IGNITER & FUEL NOZZLE MOUNTING PAD ON THE OUTER COMBUSTIONLINER WAS SLIGHTLY DISPLACED (.009' FM PERPENDICULAR), RESULTING IN A SLIGHT DISPLACEMENT OF THE FLAME PATTERN INSIDE THE INNER LINER. THE #1 PWR TURBINE NOZZLE WAS BURNED, CRACKED & ERODED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ENG HAD EXPERIENCED 1 OR MORE OVERTEMP CONDS, POSSIBLY FM HOT STARTS, HI PWR LVLS OR LACK OF COOLING BFR ENG SHUTDOWNS.
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: 585 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 496 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,123 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1986; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
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.
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 LAX87LA099.