Hughes 369HS accident near Princeton, Missouri, March 15, 1985
On March 15, 1985 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N1040Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Princeton, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 15, 1985 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Princeton, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369HS · all 369HSs on the register
- Registration
- N1040Z · registry record · serial 6103235
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTERS TAIL ROTOR COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES DURING AN APCH TO AN OPEN FIELD. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, UPON DESCENDING ONTO THE FLD, THE ACFT BEGAN TO VIBRATE SEVERELY.CONSEQUENTLY, THE PLT LOST CONTROL AND THE HELICOPTER MADE TWO 360 DEGREE REVOLUTIONS (THE ACFTS NOSE SWINGING RIGHT) BEFORE CONTACTING THE GROUND AND COMING TO REST ON IT'S LEFT SIDE.
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: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,050 hours in all; 235 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 6,850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,331 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 1985; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MO28 Plattsburg MO at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MO32 Princeton MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.