ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 40776
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| Date: | Wednesday 1 September 1999 |
| Time: | 10:00 |
| Type: |  Hughes 369HS |
| Owner/operator: | Hoffman Helicopters Inc. |
| Registration: | N42054 |
| MSN: | 520379S |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4716 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pohnpei Island -
 Micronesia
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Fishing Vessel, |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter took off from the fishing vessel to conduct tuna spotting operations, and crashed under unknown circumstances approximately 1 1/2 hours later. The pilot had made routine communication with the ship captain via radio about 10 minutes before the accident. No emergency calls were received by the ship. The helicopter was about 30 miles away from the ship at the time of the accident. The ship's crewmembers located only the helicopter's floats, pieces of the airframe, and the engine. The ship captain reported that the sea was flat and clear. There were no birds or fish noted around the accident site. The pilot had been on the ship since August 25, 1999, and had flown about 4 hours. The captain and crew reported that the pilot, who also performed duties as the mechanic, had not mentioned any mechanical problems with the aircraft. The operator estimated that the helicopter had approximately 64 gallons of fuel on board when it departed. No debris or contamination was noted in the fuel samples. The engine did not reveal any preimpact damage and appeared to have been rotating at the time of impact.
Probable Cause: An in-flight collision with the water for undetermined reasons.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X19797&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 14-Dec-2017 09:04 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Jun-2022 05:47 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
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