Hughes 369D accident near Yerington, Nevada, April 14, 1996
On April 14, 1996 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N519BH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yerington, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the partial loss of engine power and the pilot's misjudged flare during an autorotation landing in soft dirt with excessive forward speed. The power loss resulted from flight operations in an environment which debris contaminated the engine's nozzle port and compressor assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1996 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Yerington, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N519BH · registry record · serial 854D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot experienced a total loss of engine power while cruising between 200 and 300 feet above ground level and at an airspeed of 100 knots. The pilot reported that the engine noise resembled the same whining as if it were in a shut down mode. The pilot entered an autorotation and landed in an open field approximately 0.5 miles from his airstrip. The accident site examination revealed that the helicopter had touched down with forward speed and made depressions in the soft ground over a distance of 25 to 30 feet. The helicopter rolled onto its side and a main rotor blade severed the tail boom. Tail rotor blade and drive shaft components separated from the helicopter and were found 200 feet from the main wreckage. The last annual inspection was performed 6 months prior to the accident flight and the aircraft had flown 16.9 hours. Also, the last compressor wash was performed about 2 months prior to the flight and had flown 8 hours since then. The postaccident engine examination revealed accumulated nozzle port debris and dirty compressor blades and vanes. The engine flamed out during its first test run and, during subsequent tests, it produced power 7.8 percent below specifications.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,348 hours in all; 176 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 5,539 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,793 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1995; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NV at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 5 knots, gusting 7
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.