Hughes 369D accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, June 20, 2006
On June 20, 2006 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N88SE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
A loss of rotor rpm for undetermined reasons, resulting in a hard landing on top of the commercial building over which the helicopter was working.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2006 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N88SE · registry record · serial 800775D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While placing an air conditioning unit on top of a commercial building, the pilot heard the main rotor pitch droop, and confirmed that the rotor rpm was beginning to decrease. He then confirmed the throttle was open in the full flight position, moved the load away from the personnel on the roof, and lowered the collective. The low rotor audio sounded, and the rotor rpm continued to decrease, so the pilot hit the load release switch and autorotated to an emergency landing on top of the roof. After a hard touchdown, the aircraft bounced, touched down again, and then balanced on the right skid before very slowly rolling onto its right side. The load he was placing on the roof weighed less than one-half of what the helicopter was capable of lifting under the ambient conditions, and neither an engine/airframe inspection nor a test run of the engine were able to establish any anomalies or the initiating factor in the rotor droop event.
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
- 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: 8,821 hours in all; 905 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 6,779 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,610 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBTF Bountiful UT at 2:40 pm
- Destination: KBTF Salt Lake City UT
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N88SE 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 SEA06LA124.