ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 316659
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| Date: | Sunday 9 July 2023 |
| Time: | 10:27 |
| Type: |  Hughes 369D |
| Owner/operator: | Haverfield Aviation |
| Registration: | N5027P |
| MSN: | 611002D |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 24899 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Waldorf, MD -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Calibration/Inspection |
| Departure airport: | Maryland Airport, MD (2W5) |
| Waldorf, MD | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On July 9, 2023, at 1027 eastern daylight time, a Hughes 369D helicopter, N5027P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Waldorf, Maryland. The commercial pilot and two observer crewmembers sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated by Haverfield Aviation, Inc. as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 powerline inspection flight.
According to the flight crew, it was agreed that they would complete one flight before forecast weather moved into the area. The pre-mission risk-assessment, preflight inspection of the helicopter, and inflight power-assurance check were all satisfactory and the helicopter performed “without incident” for 2 hours before the crewmember in the back of the helicopter reported hearing an “abnormal noise.”
The crewmembers agreed they heard something “suspicious,” but agreed that it was so subtle they couldn’t decide if the noise was “abnormal.” The pilot reported that he “felt a vibration in the collective” control. The mission portion of the flight was terminated, and the crew agreed to return to Maryland Airport (2W5), Indian Head, Maryland, where they had originally departed.
Company GPS track data depicted the helicopter in a cruise profile about 900 ft mean sea level (msl) and 100 knots groundspeed for about 8 minutes as it assumed a southwesterly heading toward 2W5. The data indicated that, the helicopter entered a steep, descending left turn through about 180° before the track data ended at 0 knots about ground level in the vicinity of the accident site.
According to the flight crew, while in cruise flight, there was a “loud bang or pop noise and a hard left yaw.” The pilot entered an autorotation and selected his forced landing site adjacent to a pond in a residential area.
Home security video captured the final seconds of the flight. The sounds of the helicopter’s engine and the turning main rotor could be heard before the helicopter appeared in the frame, descending steeply in a level attitude. The helicopter dropped from sight behind a house and reappeared just as the helicopter’s nose flared upward and the tail rotor impacted the surface of the pond about the same time. The tailboom was separated by the turning main rotor at or about water contact. The helicopter’s skids impacted the fence that bordered the pond, and the helicopter subsequently came to rest upright. The engine, which continued to run briefly, was shut down by the pilot and the damaged main rotor blades stopped turning. The crewmembers egressed the helicopter without assistance.
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued in December 2022. The pilot reported 2,012 total hours of flight experience, of which 1,094 hours were in the accident helicopter make and model.
The helicopter was manufactured in 1981 and was powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-C20B turboshaft, 420-horsepower engine. The helicopter’s most recent 100-hour inspection was completed June 7, 2023, at 24,899.3 total aircraft hours.
The helicopter came to rest upright straddling the damaged fence. The cockpit and cabin area appeared intact. The transmission, main rotor mast, and main rotor head all appeared intact and secure in their mounts. Two of the five main rotor blades displayed significant impact damage and all five blades were secure in their hubs. The tailboom was severed just aft of its mount; the damage was consistent with main rotor contact and impact with water and terrain. A fractured tail rotor gearbox with tail rotor attached was found separated from the tailboom. One tail rotor blade was severed near its grip.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://smnewsnet.com/archives/522251/police-investigating-helicopter-crash-in-charles-county-no-serious-injuries-reported/
NTSB
FAA
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=5027P
https://www.radarbox.com/data/registration/N5027P
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/780659_1684103279.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 August 1994 | N5027P | Agrotors, Inc. | 0 | Butler, PA | |
sub |
Location
Media:
A helicopter being used to survey powerlines crashed in a densely populated neighborhood in Waldorf, Maryland, on Sunday, narrowly missing homes and residents. https://t.co/aSd9uQubc6
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) July 10, 2023
Tonight on @nbcwashington at 11 p.m. — a helicopter surveying power lines crash-lands in this Waldorf, MD neighborhood. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt…but it could have easily been much worse. All we know about the crash, plus reaction from witnesses. pic.twitter.com/UrYvwrwroN
— Mauricio Casillas (@MauricioNBC4) July 10, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jul-2023 00:57 | Geno | Added |
| 10-Jul-2023 01:53 | RobertMB | Updated |
| 10-Jul-2023 10:16 | Aerossurance | Updated |
| 10-Jul-2023 18:37 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 26-Jul-2023 00:16 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 01-Feb-2024 19:12 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative] |
| 05-Feb-2024 08:59 | ASN | Updated [[Other fatalities, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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