Skip to content

WPR14CA363

2014-09-02 · Willows, California, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport WLW

Current FAA registration · N516PJ

Make / Model
HUGHES HELICOPTERS INC HUGHES 369D
Engine
ALLISON 250-C20 SER (420 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19830222
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A67907

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to adequately secure cargo (a jacket), which resulted in the jacket exiting the cabin compartment and colliding with the tail rotor during cruise flight.

Factual narrative

While in cruise flight an unsecured jacket departed the helicopter through an open window. The tail rotor drive shaft sheared as a result of the jacket's contact with the tail rotors. The pilot subsequently initiated a forced landing to an orchard where during landing, the main rotors struck and separated the tailboom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. While in cruise flight an unsecured jacket departed the helicopter through an open window. The tail rotor drive shaft sheared as a result of the jacket's contact with the tail rotors. The pilot subsequently initiated a forced landing to an orchard where during landing, the main rotors struck and separated the tailboom. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Loading-(general)-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incomplete action-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Debris/dirt/foreign object-Effect on equipment - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR14CA363.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.