Accident Overview
On August 7, 2025, about 1059 central daylight time, a Hughes (MD Helicopters) 369D helicopter, registration N173AL, was destroyed when it struck power lines and crashed onto a barge deck near West Alton, Missouri. The pilot and a crewmember sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as an external load operation.
Flight Activity
According to Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data, the helicopter departed from the north bank of a river at about 1025. The pilot made three trips to a powerline support tower on the south bank, returning to the north bank after each. The final ADS-B data point was recorded at 1035; no further data were captured.
Witness Account
A witness aboard a tow vessel reported that the pilot and a lineman appeared to be attempting to attach a safety marker (an orange ball) to one of the power lines. The lineman stood on the left skid, wearing a safety harness. During the second attempt, as the helicopter approached the lines, the tail struck a line. The witness observed the tailboom partially separate from the airframe, with a portion “dangling.” The helicopter then pivoted, and the cockpit contacted the line, producing sparks similar to an electrical transformer failure. The helicopter fell onto the barge deck, and a postimpact fire ensued. The witness did not see the helicopter on fire during flight, only sparks when the fuselage struck the line.
Response and Damage
Crew on the tow vessel moved alongside the barge and used the pilothouse fire station to extinguish the fire. Subsequent inspection of the barge found no structural damage or release of its contents.
Wreckage
The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage, engine, main rotor transmission, main rotor hub, and the forward portion of the tail boom (fragmented into two sections). One main rotor blade was located about 150 ft from the main wreckage. A 7-foot segment of a second main rotor blade was found about 176 ft away, and a 6-inch blade tip was recovered about 26 ft away. The remaining main rotor blades and the aft portion of the tail boom, including the tail rotor and horizontal stabilizer, were not present and presumed to have landed in the river.
Investigation
The video data recorder from the tow vessel was retained for examination and download. A search of the river bottom near the accident site using side-scan sonar equipment is planned. The helicopter wreckage was retained for possible further examination.