NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX02LA176
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
sabotage to the helicopter's fuel system, which resulted in a loss of engine power and a forced landing.
Factual narrative
On May 26, 2002, about 1430 Guam standard time, a Hughes 369C, N500LA, landed hard after a loss of engine power immediately after takeoff near Agana International Airport, Agana, Guam. Americopters, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot received minor injuries and the three passengers were not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan had been filed for the local area business flight. During a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent assigned to the case stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had found chicken eggs in the fuel tanks of the helicopter during a post accident examination. He determined that the accident was the result of sabotage, and therefore a criminal case. The helicopter experienced a loss of engine power immediately after takeoff and landed hard. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector found chicken eggs in the helicopter's fuel tanks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the accident, and listed it as a criminal case. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2002_LAX02LA176.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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