Hughes 369D accident near St.Thomas, October 19, 1984
On October 19, 1984 at about 2:59 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N8631F, was destroyed in an accident near St.Thomas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1984 · about 2:59 pm local time
- Place
- St.Thomas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8631F · no longer on the register · serial 770158D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FLYING AT 50 FEET ABOVE THE WATER AT 15 KNOTS AIRSPEED PHOTOGRAPHING A SAIL BOAT. THE ACFT THEN CLIMBED TO 150 FEET AND DRIFTED LEFT OVER THE TOP OF THE BOAT. AT THIS POINT WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING A LOUD POP AND SEEING A PUFF OF BLACK SMOKE COME FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST. ENGINE NOISE CEASED AND THE ACFT ROLLED APPROX 90 DEGREES ONTO ITS LEFT SIDE AND DESCENDED INTO THE WATER. POST CRASH INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRECRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE STRUCTURE, ROTOR HEAD, ROTOR BLADES, OR MAIN ROTOR GEAR BOX. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COMPONENTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE PRECRASH MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. WITNESSES REPORTED THEY SAW NO COMPONENTS FALL FROM THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE CRASH.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,325 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1984; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: St.Thomas at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from STT, 10 miles away
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.