Event FTW96LA274

Factual narrative

On June 24, 1996, at 0900 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 369HE, N521TC, struck a fence while hovering at the Las Cruces International Airport, Las Cruces, New Mexico. The helicopter was registered to Hex Corporation of Wilmington, Delaware, and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed for the personal cross country flight. The commercial pilot and the 3 passengers were not injured and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Globe, Arizona, 2 hours before the accident. During personal telephone interviews, conducted by the investigator-in-charge, with the pilot, local authorities, the airport manager, and the FAA inspector, the following information was revealed. The helicopter approached the ramp parking area from a taxiway parallel to the ramp. During the landing, after the left skid had contacted the ramp, the pilot brought the helicopter to a hover. While hovering (IGE), the tailrotor struck the top of a chain link fence and the tailrotor and gearbox separated from the aircraft resulting in a loss of control. Subsequently, during the spinning of the helicopter, the pilot lowered the collective, the left skid struck the ramp, and the helicopter came to a stop on its left side. Damage was reported to the tailrotor, tailboom, gearbox, skids, and main rotor blades. During a landing hover (IGE), the tail rotor struck the top of a chain link fence and the tail rotor and gearbox separated from the aircraft. Subsequently, during the spinning of the helicopter, the pilot lowered the collective, the left skid struck the ramp, and the helicopter came to a stop on its left side. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12