Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Dallas, Texas
Accident Investigation & Prevention; AVP-100; Washington, District of Columbia
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N369GK
Location: Stoneburg, TX
Accident Number: CEN18LA183
Date & Time: 05/19/2018, 0945 CDT
Registration: N369GK
Aircraft: HUGHES 369A
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Defining Event: Loss of control in flight
Injuries: 4 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Business
On May 19, 2018, about 0930 central daylight time, a Hughes 369A helicopter, N369GK, struck trees and impacted terrain about 4 miles north of Stoneburg and 8 miles north of Bowie, Texas.. The pilot and three passengers were seriously injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to Longhorn Helicopters and operated by Hogbirds under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an aerial tour flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan had been filed.
The flight was part of a guided hog hunt on private property for military veterans. There were four occupants on board: the pilot in the right front seat, the navigator in the left front seat, and two passengers in the rear acting as shooters. According to a passenger, who was seated in the front left seat and was acting as a navigator during the flight, the flight had completed a hunt and a call had been made to safe the weapons. Subsequently, the flight started to return to the landing zone. While flying about 125 feet above the ground a passenger spotted a coyote below the helicopter and notified the rest of the occupants. The pilot made a sudden tight right turn and entered a steep descent downwind to chase the coyote. The flight crossed a road and dropped into the middle of a wheat field. The flight rapidly approached a tree line and the pilot initiated a climb, but the helicopter collided with trees and impacted terrain. The navigator was able to extricate himself from the helicopter and went for help. The pilot and passengers were taken to hospitals with serious injuries. The navigator was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The navigator did not report any mechanical malfunction of the helicopter prior to the accident. Neither the pilot or operator submitted a statement to FAA or NTSB.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 42, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): Helicopter
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Helicopter
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/29/2018
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 608 hours (Total, all aircraft), 100 hours (Total, this make and model)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: HUGHES
Registration: N369GK
Model/Series: 369A NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Year of Manufacture: 1967
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 580468
Landing Gear Type: Skid
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection:
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Turbo Shaft
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: Allison
ELT:
Engine Model/Series: 250-C18A
Registered Owner: Longhorn Helicopters
Rated Power: 317 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: 0F2, 1100 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 5 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 0955 CDT
Direction from Accident Site: 135°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 14 knots / 21 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: Unknown / Unknown
Wind Direction: 160°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: Unknown / Unknown
Altimeter Setting: 29.85 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 26°C / 19°C
Precipitation and Obscuration:
Departure Point: Sunset, TX (NONE)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Sunset, TX (NONE)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0915 CDT
Type of Airspace: Class G
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 4 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 33.706944, -97.916667
It appears the helicopter was operated by a hunting service, but that has not been confirmed.
The crash occurred in a wooded area west of U.S. 81 off Yowell Road, just north of Stoneburg.
No details are available on what happened to the helicopter.
Three male subjects were airlifted to area hospitals and one male was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Firefighters had to extricate one person from the helicopter.
The Texas Department of Transportation secured the scene awaiting investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration, which investigates these crashes.
Bowie city and rural firefighters responded, as did Stoneburg and Nocona Rural.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://bowienewsonline.com
Emergency responders from across the Bowie area responded to a helicopter crash report about 9:30 a.m. today north of Bowie.
It appears the helicopter was operated by a hunting service, but that has not been confirmed.
The crash occurred in a wooded area west of U.S. 81 off Yowell Road, just north of Stoneburg.
No details are available on what happened to the helicopter.
Three male subjects were airlifted to area hospitals and one male was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Firefighters had to extricate one person from the helicopter.
The Texas Department of Transportation secured the scene awaiting investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration, which investigates these crashes.
Bowie city and rural firefighters responded, as did Stoneburg and Nocona Rural.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://bowienewsonline.com
MONTAGUE COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) - 12:30 p.m.
A helicopter crash near US 81 north of Bowie around 9:30 a.m. Saturday left three people injured and one unharmed.
Police officers were notified of the crash, and troopers headed to the site near Yowell Road. According to Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs contact Lynn Lunsford, the flight "[l]ooks to be a hog-hunting flight."
Department of Public Safety Lt. Lonny Hasche said the three people injured were taken by medical helicopter to various hospitals.
1:49 p.m.
A helicopter crash near US 81 north of Bowie around 9:30 a.m. Saturday left four people injured, and Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Dan Buesing said federal investigations are taking place.
The helicopter was charted for a wounded veterans air hunting program and crashed into heavy trees on private land just north of Stoneburg, Texas.
One individual was taken to a local hospital with non-incapacitating injuries while the other three occupants were transported to various hospitals in the region with incapacitating injuries.
"The scene is cleared of all non-essential personnel and is being held for federal investigators," Buesing stated.
Original article ➤ http://www.texomashomepage.com
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