Hughes 369D accident near Hilo, Hawaii, December 22, 1992
On December 22, 1992, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N113RS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE BEARING FAILURES DUE TO THE OPERATOR'S USE OF IMPROPER MAINTENANCE INSPECTION AND OVERHAUL PROCEDURES BY INSTALLING AN UNSERVICEABLE COMPRESSOR MODULE IN THE HELICOPTER ENGINE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE UNSUITABLE NATURE OF THE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING AND THE TAIL WIND CONDITION DURING THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1992
- Place
- Hilo, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N113RS · registry record · serial 590506D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE THE PILOT DETECTED A BUFFETING IN THE AIRFRAME FOLLOWED BY A LEFT YAW. THE ENGINE GAGES INDICATED DECREASING POWER OUTPUT WITH A HIGH TURBINE OUTLET TEMPERATURE, AND, THE ENGINE CHIP AND FAILURE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT EXECUTED AN AUTO ROTATION AND HAD TO STRETCH THE GLIDE SLIGHTLY TO REACH THE ONLY SUITABLE AREA WHICH INVOLVED A DOWN WIND LANDING. THE MAIN ROTOR SLICED OFF THE TAIL BOOM AS THE HELICOPTER SLID TO A STOP. REVIEW OF THE OPERATORS DAILY FLIGHT SHEETS FOR THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER REVEALED THAT A ENGINE CHIP LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED ON THE FLIGHT PRIOR TO THIS ONE. THE CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN WAS TO CLEAN THE CHIP PLUG AND REINSTALL IT. NO TEST FLIGHT AND FURTHER CHECK OF THE PLUG WAS DONE AS REQUIRED IN THE MAINTENANCE MANUALS. DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER 1 AND 2 BEARINGS IN THE COMPRESSOR MODULE HAD FAILED. REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE COMPRESSOR MODULE WAS FORMERLY INSTALLED IN AN ENGINE WHICH WAS INVOLVED IN A HELICOPTER ACCIDENT IN MAY OF 1992. THE COMPRESSOR MODULE WAS NOT DISASSEMBLED FOR INSPECTION AS REQUIRED IN THE OVERHAUL AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL, AND WAS NOT SIGNED OFF FOR RETURN TO SERVICE. IT WAS INSTALLED BY THE OPERATOR IN THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER ENGINE ON NOVEMBER 21, 1992.
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: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,017 hours in all; 138 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 3,643 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,928 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 7, 1992; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250 C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MUE Kamuela HI at 11:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N113RS 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 LAX93LA071.