HUGHES 369HS near Manra Island, PO — 2015-09-03

Final reportWPR15LA257

Date: 2015-09-03
Location: Manra Island, PO, KI
Aircraft: HUGHES 369HS
Registration: N9068F
Category: Helicopter
Highest injury: Fatal
Fatalities: 1

Probable cause

A The loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined asbecause the helicopter sank in the oceanwater and was not recovered.

NTSB narrative

According to an operator representative, the commercial pilot and passenger/spotter were conducting fish-spotting duties. The operator reported that, about 16 minutes after the helicopter departed from the fishing vessel, the fishing vessel's radio operator reported losing contact with the helicopter. Vessel personnel then located the helicopter upside down in the water and initiated rescue operations. The passenger reported that "the helicopter went wrong in the air and started rolling over and fell into the water." The passenger evacuated the helicopter and was rescued shortly after. He reported that he saw that the pilot's life vest had inflated inside the helicopter and that the pilot was struggling to exit and then stopped moving. After the passenger was transported to a hospital, he was not available for further questioning. The pilot's personal life vest, which was equipped to self-inflate when submerged in water, likely prevented him from evacuating the helicopter as it rolled over. After the accident, the operator advised its pilots not to use this type of life vest and to use the company-issued flotation life vests. The helicopter sank and was not recovered. The reason for the loss of helicopter control could not be determined.