Hughes 369D accident near Feather Falls, California, December 20, 1995
On December 20, 1995 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N8395F, was destroyed in an accident near Feather Falls, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to jettison his external load after it came in contact with trees and terrain. The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance above trees and hilly terrain was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1995 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Feather Falls, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8395F · no longer on the register · serial 880339D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting external load operations, the aircraft was orbiting east of a logging pickup site when the sling load contacted trees and terrain near a ridge. Weather at the time was clear with light winds. The helicopter was seen shaking and oscillating followed by a flat spin with the sling line still visibly attached. A radio call asking what was wrong was made with no reply. The first persons to reach the accident site found the belly hook and line still engaged. Evidence of freshly broken tree limbs and branches was found back along the flight path. Deposits of woody debris were also noted on sections of the lines and load. No discrepancies were found with the belly hook.
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: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,411 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,377 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from CIC, 39 miles away
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 N8395F 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.