Hughes 369D accident near Boise, Idaho, December 24, 2002
On December 24, 2002 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N8366F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the operator's maintenance personnel to properly rig the left/right seat twistgrip throttles to the engine fuel control, the pilot in command's failure to adhere to the rotorcraft flight manual, and the check pilot's premature flare during the autorotation resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2002 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8366F · registry record · serial 270082D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot, who had 900 hours PIC flight time in the make/model, and an FAA check pilot, who had 40 hours PIC flight time in the make/model, departed on a Part 135 check flight in the McDonnell Douglas (Hughes) 369D rotorcraft. After returning to the Boise airport, the commercial pilot (examinee in the left seat) transferred control of the aircraft to the check pilot (right seat) who then demonstrated a simulated 180-degree autorotation. After the check pilot rolled off power, the GEN OUT caution light illuminated followed by the ENG OUT warning light. The check pilot noted rotor RPM in the green but decelerating engine RPM, and the commercial pilot reported that he felt the check pilot's flare was premature. The rotorcraft landed hard during which time the main rotor blades flexed down impacting and severing the tailboom. Post-crash examination revealed that the left and right seat throttle/collective controls to the engine fuel control unit had been misrigged, and a test run of the engine confirmed a flameout condition when the right seat throttle was retarded to the idle position. A review of the rotorcraft's maintenance log showed that the right seat controls had been installed two days previous and signed off as "all rigging found to be within limits." The McDonnell Douglas MD500D Rotorcraft Flight Manual discusses throttle rigging in the Normal Procedures Section noting that a throttle rigging check must be performed prior to autorotation training, and the check must be performed on both left and right seat throttle controls if dual controls are installed. The Rotorcraft Flight Manual also provided a warning that "Misrigging of the throttle control may result in inadvertent flameout during rapid closing of the twistgrip to the ground idle position."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 19, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- 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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,825 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6,825 as pilot in command; 1,340 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,406.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 31, 2002; 65.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pathfinder Helicopters Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BOI
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BOI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N8366F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.