N501VS is a 1977 Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D. It is a rotorcraft with 4 seats, powered by a Allison 250-C20B rated at 420 horsepower. The registration is active, with the registrant based in Destin, FL. Its standard airworthiness certificate was issued in May 2015. It has been registered to its current owner since Apr 2015. This page also carries 1 NTSB event.
- 49 years old
- 1 of 208 Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D
2015
That's everything on file so far — TailWiki checks the FAA registry daily and adds new entries as N501VS's record changes.
The pilot and passenger departed on a fish survey flight over the open ocean. About an hour into the flight, a descent was made to sea level to attach a GPS buoy on a log. After attaching the buoy, the helicopter was climbing through 400-500 ft, when the pilot heard a bang come from the area of the rotor head, followed by a shake in the cyclic control. The pilot radioed the support vessel notifying them of the issue and proceeded to head in their direction. The pilot continued to experience intermittent flight control problems, and unable to reach the vessel, attempted to deploy the inflatable floats, however they did not deploy. The pilot subsequently declared a mayday and initiated a forced water landing. After the helicopter impacted the water, it rolled inverted. The pilot and passenger egressed before the helicopter sank.
The helicopter was not recovered.
No photos yet. Sign in to add the first one.
More from Vertol Systems
FAA record- N103VS · Mil Helicopters MI-24D
- N106VS · Mil Helicopters MI-24D
- N114VS · Mil Helicopters MI-24D
- N191VS · Hughes 369
- N193VS · Hughes Helicopters INC HUGHES 369D
- N195VS · Hughes Helicopters INC HUGHES 369D
and 19 more registered to the same entity in FL.