Hughes 369D accident near Herminie, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1999
On February 9, 1999 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N5070J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Herminie, Pennsylvania. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1999 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Herminie, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N5070J · registry record · serial 121096D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was positioning next to a powerline tower, in an out of ground effect hover. During the hover, the engine out warning horn sounded, alerting the pilot of a possible power loss. The pilot backed the helicopter away from the tower, lowered the collective, and turned to the left to avoid the tower. Approximately 10-15 feet above the ground, the engine lost additional power, and descended rapidly. Just prior to impact, the pilot applied maximum collective, and the helicopter landed hard. After landing, the engine was shut down by the pilot. The engine was removed and accelerated in a test cell from 70 percent to 95 percent torque. No discrepancies were noted, and power calibrations were computed. The computed power calibrations revealed that the engine was producing 12 percent more than rated power. The fuel control unit was removed from the engine, inspected, and tested. No conditions were found that would have prohibited the unit from operating normally at the time of the incident.
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: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all; 1,570 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 5,350 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,009 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1999; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Agrotors INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LBE Latrobe PA at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from AGC, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N5070J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC99LA055.