“ Original helicopter with this designation crashed and destroyed during the filming of TV series "Magnum P.I." during the filming of the episode "Skin Deep". Air Date: 1/15/1981 During the filming of this episode, in a low-flying aerial sequence, a Hughes 369D (N58243*) helicopter crashed into the ocean, tragically killing camera technician Robert Van Der Kar (and injuring the pilot Robert Sanders). The official NTSB report found the cause to be pilot error, a misjudgement in altitude (i.e. the chopper was flying too low). The NTSB suspended Robert Sanders' license for 90 days. An on-screen caption before the closing credits of this episode reads: This episode is dedicated to camera technician ROBERT VAN DER KAR who died during its filming The helicopter was hovering feet above the water when a whitecap of ocean water hit one of the landing skids which caused the aircraft to plunge into the water. ”