Hughes 269C N7441F
23 May 1990 · Rialto, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 May 1990 at about 18:10 local time, a Hughes 269C registered N7441F was involved in an accident near Rialto, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rialto, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Rialto (L67)
- Coordinates
- 34.0997, -117.3806
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C
- Registration
- N7441F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA187
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO TROUBLESHOOT A REPORTED DEFICIENCY AND THE PILOT'S DECISION TO DEMONSTRATE THE VIBRATION, EXCEEDING THE DESIGN LIMITS OF THE HELICOPTER AND INDUCING GROUND RESONANCE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOW NITROGEN CHARGE OF THE LANDING GEAR DAMPERS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER ENCOUNTERED GROUND RESONANCE DURING A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT. THE CFI NOTICED AN UNUSUAL VIBRATION DURING STUDENT TRAINING. THE PILOT SUSPENDED THE TRAINING AND INFORMED MAINTENANCE. THE PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED TO DUPLICATE THE VIBRATION FOR ONE OF THE MAINTENANCE MECHANICS. AFTER TWO UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS, THE PILOT LANDED THE HELICOPTER ON A SLIGHT SLOPE. AFTER ONE SKID TOUCHED DOWN, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO VIBRATE. THE PILOT REDUCED THE THROTTLE AND THE VIBRATION BECAME MORE SEVERE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO DISINTEGRATE.
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 | - |
| 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 | - |
| 25 Sep 1990 | Hughes 269C | Jefferson, Maryland, United States | New Horizon Aviation, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |