Hughes 369D accident near Hanapepe, Hawaii, April 18, 1994
On April 18, 1994 at about 11:14 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N1103N, was destroyed in an accident near Hanapepe, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE TURBINE ENGINE COMPRESSOR CLEANING PROCEDURES BASED ON INFORMATION IN THE MANUFACTURER'S SERVICE LETTER, AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER WITH FOREIGN MATERIAL (SODIUM). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LACK OF A SPECIFIED SERVICE REQUIRMENT FOR INSPECTION OF THE FUEL STRAINER, AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1994 · about 11:14 pm local time
- Place
- Hanapepe, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N1103N · no longer on the register · serial 410945D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR A WATERFALL ON A SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT, THE HUGHES 369D SUSTAINED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, DESCENDED, AND LANDED HARD ON ROUGH/ROCKY TERRAIN. AN EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER WAS CONTAMINATED AND BLOCKED WITH SODIUM, AND IT WAS PARTIALLY COLLAPSED. TESTS OF THE NOZZLE REVEALED THAT FLOW RATES WERE BELOW THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS. THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING OPERATED EXCLUSIVELY IN A MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND THE OPERATOR PERFORMED COMPRESSOR WASH PROCEDURES ON A DAILY BASIS. IN A SERVICE LETTER, THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER PRESCRIBED TURBINE ENGINE COMPRESSOR WASH PROCEDURES WHICH RESULTED IN IMMERSION OF THE FUEL NOZZLE IN CONTAMINATED WASH WATER. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF SUBSEQUENT INFILTRATION OF WASH WATER INTO THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER. THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER HAD A LIFE LIMIT OF 2500 HOURS, BUT ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, IT WAS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY PRIOR ROUTINE INSPECTION REQUIREMENT.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,100 hours in all; 2,200 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,151 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 14, 1994; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Aviation International
The flight
- Departed from: PAK HI at 9:35 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from LIH, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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 N1103N 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.