N500TN – HUGHES 369D – 2011-12-21 NTSB Accident Report

On December 21, 2011, a Hughes 369D (N500TN) was involved in an incident near Fall Branch, TN. All 1 person 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 improper decision to continue a visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a wire strike.

Prior to departure on a positioning flight, the pilot of the helicopter checked the weather and determined that visual meteorological conditions existed at both his departure and destination airports. However, while in cruise flight at 400 feet above ground level while following a highway, the ceiling rapidly became lower, and the pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions. Moments later at an airspeed of 65 knots, marker balls appeared which indicated that power lines were directly in front of him. He lowered the collective and entered a right diving turn in order to avoid the wires but one of his main rotor blades made contact with a power line. The rotor speed remained within limits but the helicopter began to vibrate.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA119. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N500TN.