Hughes 369D accident near Chico, California, August 15, 1993
On August 15, 1993 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N8606F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chico, California. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the observer's failure to properly secure stowed items in the rear compartment prior to takeoff and the resultant foreign object damage to the tail rotor system which precluded the pilot from maintaining directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1993 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Chico, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8606F · no longer on the register · serial 370100D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A sheriff's department rents this particular helicopter on an as needed basis for surveillance and rescue missions. All doors are removed for the missions. The pilot said that he had just achieved a cruise altitude of 500 feet AGL when he heard a loud bang and felt a severe vibration throughout the airframe. The pilot stated that he entered a 180 degree autorotation to a clear area in an almond orchard with power. During the landing flare, the helicopter began to spin to the right when the pilot applied collective. He said that he immediately rolled off the power; the helicopter landed hard and rolled over. A ground witness reported that when the helicopter was nearly overhead he saw a cloth like object come out of the helicopter and fly back toward the tail. The helicopter then descended rapidly as it turned 180 degrees until it disappeared behind the trees. Prior to takeoff, the observer had placed a nomex flight suit under some bags tied down in the rear compartment. Subsequent examination of the helicopter and the accident site revealed that the flight suit was unaccounted for and could not be located. Several days after the accident, a search party located a shredded nomex flight suit in the orchard not far from the accident site and back along the direction of the helicopter's flight path.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Butte County Sheriffs'S Dept
The flight
- Departed from: O23 at 5:00 pm
- Destination: O23
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- 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 | 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.