Hughes 500D N277SP

Summary

On 27 May 1982 at about 20:45 local time, a Hughes 500D registered N277SP, operated by Southwestern Public Service Co, was involved in an accident near Amarillo, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

27 May 1982 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Coordinates

35.6902, -101.8209

Aircraft

Hughes 500D

Registration

N277SP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Southwestern Public Service Co

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Amarillo → Amarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW82DA195

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS PRACTICING AUTOROTATIONS. WHEN HE ADDED POWER TO RECOVER FROM HIS EIGHTH AUTOROTATION, HE EXPERIENCED COMPRESSOR STALLS IN THE ENGINE AND A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AT ABOUT 20 FT AGL. THE HELICOPTER SETTLED AND MADE A HARD TOUCHDOWN. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES FLEXED DOWNWARD AND CHOPPED OFF THE TAIL BOOM. THE ENGINE WAS TRANSPORTED TO A TEST CELL WHERE IT WAS RUN UP IN AN "AS IS" CONDITION. IT OPERATED NORMALLY WITH A POWER OUTPUT OF 4.29% ABOVE THE MINIMUM REQUIRED. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND EXCEPT THERE WAS A MODERATE AIR LEAK FROM THE ANTI-ICE VALVE. THE VALVE WAS REPLACED AND THE ENGINE THEN PRODUCED 5.95% ABOVE THE MINIMUM REQUIRED POWER. THE ENGINE WAS THEN COMPLETELY DISASSEMBLED AND INSPECTED AND ALL PARTS WERE FOUND TO BE IN SATISFACTORY CONDITION. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ABOUT 5100 FT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.