Hughes 369HS accident near Sarasota, Florida, June 22, 1994
On June 22, 1994 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N520TC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota/Bradenton Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ALTITUDE MISJUDGED BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1994 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · Sarasota/Bradenton Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N520TC · registry record · serial 3405803
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER FLEW INTO WATER DURING AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLIGHT. A PASSENGER IN THE HELICOPTER WAS WEARING A HARNESS AND WAS SECURED TO THE SEAT BELT ANCHOR BY A NYLON ROPE. THE NYLON ROPE BROKE AND THE PASSENGER WAS EJECTED. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A FRACTURED AND DISLOCATED SHOULDER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,926 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1993; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hover Flight, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from SRQ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.
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.