Hughes 369D accident near Kaneohe, Hawaii, June 7, 1994
On June 7, 1994 at about 2:50 am local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N4943T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kaneohe, Hawaii. It was an other work-use flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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 operator's and pilot's failure to ensure that the cargo net containing empty paper bags was sufficiently ballasted to prevent it from flying up into the tail rotor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1994 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Kaneohe, Hawaii · 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
- N4943T · no longer on the register · serial 1190614D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the helicopter was lifting construction supplies to a power line tower in a mountainous area above the staging area. On the accident flight segment, the helicopter had delivered a load of dry cement in a cargo net and was returning with the empty paper bags in the cargo net. As the helicopter established a 20-foot hover at the staging area, the net flew upward into the tail rotor. The tail rotor assembly and gear box separated from the tail boom and the helicopter began to spin. The pilot lowered the collective to initiate an autorotation and the helicopter landed hard.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,300 hours in all; 5,700 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,189 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1994; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cherry Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 1:55 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N4943T 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.