Hughes 269B N9400F

Summary

On 28 June 1984 at about 20:19 local time, a Hughes 269B registered N9400F was involved in an accident near Palos Verde Est, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

28 June 1984 at 20:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Palos Verde Est, California, United States

Nearest airport

Torrance (TOA)

Coordinates

33.7701, -118.3409

Aircraft

Hughes 269B

Registration

N9400F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Torrance → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX84FA371

2 people died.

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

GND WITNESSES OBSVD HELICOPTER INTO NORMAL TURN AT 500 FT AGL FOLLOWED BY A VIOLENT RT TURN. DURING THE VIOLENT TURN THE TAIL ROTOR ASSY SEPARATED & THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONED UPWARDS. THE HELICOPTER WENT INTO A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT & CRASHED. WRECKAGE EXAM DISCLOSE THE TAIL ROTOR HUB TEETERING FORK BOLT & BOTH PITCH CHG LNKS SUSTAINED OVLD FRACTURES. THE FORK ASSY SHOWED EXTENSIVE BLADE IMPACT MARKS. BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES TRAIL EDGES EXHIBITED ABRASIVE SIGNATURES & WERE DELAMINATED. THE TAIL SKID SEPARATED & WAS FRACTURED @ MIDSPAN & ITS LT SIDE SHOWED TAIL ROTOR BLADE RUB MARKS. METAL & CHEM ANALYSIS DISCLSD THE EPOXY BONDING MATERIAL WAS WEAKENED BY A FOREIGN SUBSTANCE. BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE XRAYED AND PAINTED 25 FLT HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE THE PILOT HAD FLOWN A HELICOPTER WITHIN 11 MONTHS PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT. THE PLT HAD ACCUMULATED 50 HELICOPTER FLT HRS, 15 OF WHICH WERE AS PIC.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.