Hughes Helicopters INC 369E accident near Ely, Nevada, August 15, 2022
On August 15, 2022 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1985 Hughes Helicopters INC 369E, registered N500AR, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Ely, Nevada. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2022 · about 3:15 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Ely, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes Helicopters INC 369E, built 1985 · all 369Es on the register
- Registration
- N500AR · registry record · serial 0149E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, he was using a helicopter to drive horses and misjudged his height above the terrain when a horse unexpectedly turned toward him. He pulled back on the cyclic, the tail rotor struck the terrain, and the helicopter immediately started a yaw to the right. The pilot rolled the throttle off to slow the turn and cushioned the landing by adding collective. Once outside the helicopter the pilot noticed that the tail rotor driveshaft had sustained substantial damage. 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,069 hours in all; 1,011 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 8,916 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 22, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,248.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20R (turboshaft); 14,350 hours total
- Operator: Helicopter Roundup Service LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KELY Ely NV at 2:30 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from KELY, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KELY 151453Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 16/11 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP152 T01610106 53004 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 13, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo (Provided by Pilot) | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N500AR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes Helicopters Inc 369 34 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20R 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ely/Yelland Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,591 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA305.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.