Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Hanapepe, Hawaii 96716
Monday, April 18, 1994 13:14 HST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR A WATERFALL ON A SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT, THE HUGHES 369D SUSTAINED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, DESCENDED, AND LANDED HARD ON ROUGH/ROCKY TERRAIN. AN EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER WAS CONTAMINATED AND BLOCKED WITH SODIUM, AND IT WAS PARTIALLY COLLAPSED. TESTS OF THE NOZZLE REVEALED THAT FLOW RATES WERE BELOW THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS. THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING OPERATED EXCLUSIVELY IN A MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND THE OPERATOR PERFORMED COMPRESSOR WASH PROCEDURES ON A DAILY BASIS. IN A SERVICE LETTER, THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER PRESCRIBED TURBINE ENGINE COMPRESSOR WASH PROCEDURES WHICH RESULTED IN IMMERSION OF THE FUEL NOZZLE IN CONTAMINATED WASH WATER. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF SUBSEQUENT INFILTRATION OF WASH WATER INTO THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER. THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER HAD A LIFE LIMIT OF 2500 HOURS, BUT ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, IT WAS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY PRIOR ROUTINE INSPECTION REQUIREMENT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
INADEQUATE TURBINE ENGINE COMPRESSOR CLEANING PROCEDURES BASED ON INFORMATION IN THE MANUFACTURER'S SERVICE LETTER, AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL NOZZLE STRAINER WITH FOREIGN MATERIAL (SODIUM). FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LACK OF A SPECIFIED SERVICE REQUIRMENT FOR INSPECTION OF THE FUEL STRAINER, AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/18/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1314 |
| Event Time Zone | Hawaii Standard Time |
| Event City | HANAPEPE |
| Event State | HAWAII |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 96716 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1251 Hawaii Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 250 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | LIH |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 149 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 15 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | HST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 3500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 25 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 16 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 40 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 18 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 4 |
| Injury Total All | 5 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1416 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 18 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1820 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 11:02AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1103N |
| NTSB Number | LAX94FA197 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | HUGHES |
| Aircraft Model | 369D |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 369D |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 410945D |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3000 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 14 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 11 |
| Airframe Hours | 7151 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SMOKY MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 4510 HANA ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | HANAPEPE |
| Aircraft Owner State | HI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 96716 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | PACIFIC AVIATION INTERNATIONAL |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 156 |
| Operator City | HANAPEPE |
| Operator State | HI |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 96716 |
| Operator Code | FNHA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | External Load |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | PAK |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | HI |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1135 |
| Departure Time Zone | HST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Hover |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | Yes |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |