Hughes 369HS accident near Niagara Falls, New York, May 30, 1989
On May 30, 1989 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Hughes 369HS (helicopter), registered N9238F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Niagara Falls, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SEE AND AVOID THE CABLES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1989 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Niagara Falls, New York
- 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
- N9238F · no longer on the register · serial 2507135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT OVER THE PARK AREA OF NIAGARA FALLS, THE HELICOPTER FLEW INTO CABLES THAT WERE USED TO TRANSPORT CABLE CARS ACROSS THE GORGE FOR A SKYVIEW OF THE WHIRPOOL. AFTER THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE CABLES, IT JERKED ABOUT. THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE HELICOPTER ONTO A GOLF COURSE AND THE PASSENGERS JUMPED CLEAR OF THE CRAFT UNHURT. THE PILOT THEN LANDED THE HELICOPTER AND SHUT OFF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 300 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,900 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 15, 1989; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rainbow Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Goat Island NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.