Summary
On August 16, 2005, a Hughes 369E (N500FU) was involved in an incident near Donnelly, ID. All 4 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance of a tree during a landing attempt due to loss of visibility from a self induced brown-out condition. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to identify a hazardous landing site, and the tree.
On August 16, 2005, at approximately 1715 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 369E, N500FU, was substantially damaged when the main rotor blade impacted a tree during a landing attempt near Donnelly, Idaho. The commercial pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Heliflite LLC, Boise, Idaho, was operating the flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated 1 hour 15 minutes before the event. A flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot said that he had landed at the site several times before, but that much construction work had been done since his last visit.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA05CA173. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N500FU.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance of a tree during a landing attempt due to loss of visibility from a self induced brown-out condition. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to identify a hazardous landing site, and the tree.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 16, 2005, at approximately 1715 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 369E, N500FU, was substantially damaged when the main rotor blade impacted a tree during a landing attempt near Donnelly, Idaho. The commercial pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Heliflite LLC, Boise, Idaho, was operating the flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which had originated 1 hour 15 minutes before the event. A flight plan had not been filed.
The pilot said that he had landed at the site several times before, but that much construction work had been done since his last visit. He said that as he descended to his landing zone, the main rotor downwash from his helicopter created "brown-out" visibility conditions. He floated past his landing spot and the helicopter's main rotor struck a tree. The pilot said that pieces of the main blades subsequently damaged the vertical and horizontal stabilizer, and the tail rotor was damaged.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA05CA173