What happened
On September 11, 2025, at approximately 14:02 EDT, a Hughes 369D helicopter, registration N5072F, was destroyed following an accident near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The flight was being operated by WINCO INC as a Part 133 external load operation. The aircraft departed a landing zone around 14:00 with 45 gallons of Jet-A fuel to perform work near a 120-foot-tall transmission tower located approximately one mile away. The mission involved measuring and marking sections of a fiber optic wire using colored tape.
To perform this task, a line technician was positioned on a skid plate on the left exterior of the helicopter, behind the pilot's seat. The technician was intended to adhere tape to the fiber optic wire at specific intervals. The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries, involving the commercial pilot and the line technician.
While there were no direct witnesses to the accident sequence, other technicians working approximately two miles away reported feeling and hearing vibrations in the lines at the time of the event. The wreckage was found in a vertical nose-down position near the transmission tower, with the fiber optic wire severed. The impact breached the fuel tank, and a strong odor of Jet-A was noted at the site.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found significant structural separation. Four of the five main rotor blades had separated from the hub, and the tailboom had also detached from the aircraft. The upper vertical and horizontal stabilizers were located approximately 70 feet behind the main wreckage. Components including the tailrotor driveshaft, tailrotor gearbox, and lower vertical stabilizer were found approximately 40 feet aft of the main wreckage. The tailrotor hub had separated from the gearbox, with one blade remaining attached and bent, while the other blade had separated near the root.
At the time of the accident, the helicopter had been maintained under a manufacturer-approved inspection program. The most recent 100-hour inspection was completed on June 21, 2025. The airframe had a total of 7,985 hours of operation, and the engine had 6,009 hours of operation. The aircraft had flown 78.8 hours since its last inspection.