Hughes Helicopters INC 369E accident near The Dalles, Oregon, July 26, 2012
On July 26, 2012 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Hughes Helicopters INC 369E, registered N427WC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near The Dalles, Oregon (The Dalles Municipal Airport). It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the fuel tank supply pickup becoming unported while the helicopter was pulling power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2012 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- The Dalles, Oregon · The Dalles Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes Helicopters INC 369E · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N427WC · no longer on the register · serial 188E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator reported that the helicopter was in an 80-ft hover and had begun lifting and dragging the ends of winch lines used to pull power cables across sloping terrain when the engine lost power. The pilot jettisoned the external load as the helicopter began to descend rapidly. The helicopter's tail boom contacted the ground first and was then cut by the main rotor system, the skids separated from the fuselage, and the helicopter then came to rest on its right side. Several witnesses reported that the engine was still running on the ground after the impact. Postaccident examination and operational testing of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. During previous investigations of similar accidents, it was determined that the fuel tank supply pickup can become unported with a fuel load of less than 151 lbs when pitch-and-roll attitudes approach 20 degrees; the operator reported that about 117 lbs of fuel was recovered from the helicopter. It is likely that the fuel tank supply pickup unported while the helicopter was maneuvering, which led to fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,900 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 27,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,757 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20 (turboshaft); 4,923 hours total
- Operator: Wilson Construction CO
The flight
- Departed from: KDLS The Dalles OR at 1:30 pm
- Destination: KDLS The Dalles OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KDLS, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 WPR12LA328.