Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E accident near Queen Creek, Arizona, January 22, 2021
On January 22, 2021 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1990 Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E, registered N90TG, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Queen Creek, Arizona (Rittenhouse Army Heliport airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's uncoordinated flight control inputs while entering a hover, which lead to a loss of aircraft control which resulted in the left skid making contact with the ground, causing the helicopter to roll on its side.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2021 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Queen Creek, Arizona · Rittenhouse Army Heliport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E, built 1990 · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N90TG · no longer on the register · serial 383E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a practice approach to an off-airport location, he increased the collective and applied left pedal to bring the helicopter to a hover. The helicopter nosed right and continued to rotate as he attempted to stop it by applying left pedal. Subsequently, the helicopter encountered a tail wind situation, and the rate of turn became excessive, as he continued to attempt to arrest the spin. Shortly thereafter, the left skid caught the ground and bent inward, causing the helicopter to roll on its left side. The fuselage and main rotor blades were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of tail rotor effectiveness during maneuvering (hover) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Variable wind › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,267 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 12,357 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 20, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,411 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce C20 B (turboshaft); 2,399 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdala AZ at 3:50 pm
- Destination: E89 Kearney AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 am from KIWA, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 WPR21LA093.