Hughes 369D accident near Kings Valley, Oregon, November 16, 1984
On November 16, 1984 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N58256, was destroyed in an accident near Kings Valley, Oregon. It was a business flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- November 16, 1984 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kings Valley, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N58256 · no longer on the register · serial 108030D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO FLY THE ACFT AWAY FROM THE SITE OF A PROPOSED LOAD DROP BEFORE THE DROP WAS COMPLETED. THE FAA INSPECTORS SAID THE SLING DID NOT RELEASE PROPERLY. WHEN THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO DEPART THE AREA THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUNDIN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE PLT HAS 'NO SPECIFIC RECOLLECTION OF THE ACCIDENT.'
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,015 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kings Valley OR at 9:00 pm
- Destination: Kings Valley OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.