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WPR21LA084

2021-01-09 · Winthrop, Washington, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport S52

Current FAA registration · N8612F

Make / Model
HUGHES HELICOPTERS INC HUGHES 369D
Year of manufacture
1977 · 44 years old at event
Engine
ALLISON 250 SER 250HP (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19770831
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ABD532

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to adequately monitor the environment which resulted in a collision with a snowbank and subsequent loss of control.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing in a snow-covered, unimproved landing zone, the helicopter drifted rearward, the tail rotor struck a snowbank, and the helicopter began to spin to the right. The pilot reduced the throttle setting to off and applied left pedal to reduce the spin, but the helicopter drifted to the right and the right skid impacted snow. The helicopter subsequently rolled over and impacted terrain. The tailboom and the main and tail rotor drive systems were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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.

  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA084.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.

Related research

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