Hughes 269C N1094D
25 September 1990 · Jefferson, Maryland, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 September 1990 at about 14:35 local time, a Hughes 269C registered N1094D, operated by New Horizon Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Jefferson, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Jefferson, Maryland, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.3597, -77.5296
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C
- Registration
- N1094D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- New Horizon Aviation, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Winchester → Frederick
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO90FA079
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM DUE TO A WORN TAIL ROTOR SPLINED DRIVE SLEEVE, AND INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND/OR INSPECTION BY THE OPERATOR. CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL WAS THE STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ROTOR RPM DUE TO INEXPERIENCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES THE ACFT CAME APART IN THE AIR. RADAR DATA SHOWS THE ACFT AT 2600 FT WHEN IT TURNED ABOUT 35 DEGREES RIGHT IN ABOUT 4 SECONDS. THE ACFT SUSTAINED GENERAL DISINTEGATION. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE SPLINES OF THE TAIL ROTOR SPLINED DRIVE SLEEVE WERE EXCESSIVELY WORN, RENDERING LOSS OF TRANSMISSION OF TORQUE TO THE TAIL ROTOR. TWO OTHER HU-269 ACFT HAD SIMILIAR WEAR OF THE SPLINED SLEEVE. 300-HR INSPECTION REQUIRES THAT THE UPPER PULLEY ASSEMBLY BE REMOVED AND INSPECTED, AND BEARINGS LUBRICATED. SCHWEIZER ACFT CORP HAD ISSUED SERVICE BULLETIN N-219 A MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT WHICH REQUIRED RETORQUING OF THE SPLINE RETAINING NUT. HOWEVER, THE ACFT WAS WITHIN THE REQUIRED COMPLIANCE TIME, AND THE BULLETIN WAS NOT DONE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 May 1990 | Hughes 269C | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Flight Safety International | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 May 1990 | Hughes 269A | La Verne, California, United States | Randy Polous | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 May 1990 | Hughes 269C | Rialto, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1990 | Hughes 269A | Bremerton, Washington, United States | Eric P. Bass | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1990 | Hughes 269B | Paso Robles, California, United States | Dolezal, Todd R. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1990 | Hughes 269C | Carlsbad, California, United States | Flight Trails Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 1990 | Cessna 182J | Frederick, Maryland, United States | Bruce D. Lisle | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jan 1990 | Douglas DC-10 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | American Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1990 | Beechcraft 36 | Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States | Tri-H Corporation | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 Jul 1990 | Piper PA-28-200 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Ronald Marien | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1990 | Cessna 150K | Clinton, Maryland, United States | Rose Valley Aviation, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 1990 | Beechcraft C35 | Forest Hill, Maryland, United States | Chmielewski, Raymond S. | Fatal | 1 |