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No fatalities

19 Feb 2018: HUGHES 369D D — Pacific Ocean, PO, Marshall Islands

Pacific Ocean, PO, Marshall Islands

On 19 Feb 2018, a HUGHES 369D D was involved in an aviation accident near Pacific Ocean, PO, Marshall Islands. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: An in-flight mechanical malfunction with the helicopter, which necessitated a ditching in the ocean. The reason for the malfunction could be determined because the helicopter sank and was not recovered. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter on a fish survey flight experienced a rotor head failure during climb, leading to flight control issues. Unable to reach the support vessel and with floats failing to deploy, the pilot performed a forced water landing; the occupants egressed before the helicopter sank.

Incident Overview

A helicopter conducting a fish survey flight over the open ocean encountered a mechanical problem about one hour after departure. The pilot had descended to sea level to attach a GPS buoy to a log. During the subsequent climb through 400-500 feet, a loud bang was heard from the area of the rotor head, accompanied by a shake in the cyclic control.

Emergency Response

The pilot radioed the support vessel to report the issue and began heading toward it. Intermittent flight control problems continued, and the pilot was unable to reach the vessel. An attempt to deploy the inflatable floats was unsuccessful. The pilot then declared a mayday and initiated a forced water landing.

Water Landing and Egress

After impacting the water, the helicopter rolled inverted. The pilot and passenger were able to egress before the helicopter sank. The aircraft was not recovered.

Contributing factors

Contributed to outcome

Related events

Same aircraft family

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