Accident: Hughes 369D
Apr 6, 2015 · Cherokee, AL
NTSB numberERA15FA178Event id20150407X12857
- 1
- Fatalities
- 0
- Serious injuries
- 0
- Minor injuries
- 0
- Uninjured
Probable cause
The pilot's spatial disorientation during a low-level river crossing in rainy, gray, reduced visibility meteorological conditions, which resulted in the helicopter's subsequent descent and impact with the water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt the low-level crossing under those meteorological conditions.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board. Record last changed Oct 28, 2026, 10:54 UTC.
Aircraft involved
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D
- Registration
- N555JC
- Year built
- 1977
- Category
- Helicopter
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rules
- Part 91: general aviation
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise Loss of visual reference
Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database. Counts only; Voydar holds no names.
Nearest airports
Airports with a Voydar profile closest to the recorded position. Proximity only.
- Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL)17 nm (31 km) east
This page restates the NTSB's public record. Injury figures are counts; Voydar does not hold or publish the names of anyone involved.