Mcdonnell Douglas 369D accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, January 31, 1999
On January 31, 1999 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas 369D (helicopter), registered N58431, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas airport). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly judge the landing flare maneuver during a practice autorotative landing resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1999 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas 369D
- Registration
- N58431 · registry record · serial 1290647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The supervisor of the law enforcement helicopter unit reported that the pilot was performing a practice autorotative landing to touchdown when, during the landing flare, the tail stinger contacted the ground. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor blades then flexed downward severing the tail boom.
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: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,440 hours in all; 2,080 in this make and model; 258 in the last 90 days; 123 in the last 30 days; 3,177 as pilot in command; 88 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,782 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1998; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 19 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from LAS, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N58431 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.