Hughes 269C N9579F

Summary

On 23 April 1996 at about 23:00 local time, a Hughes 269C registered N9579F was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 April 1996 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Coordinates

32.7894, -117.0592

Aircraft

Hughes 269C

Registration

N9579F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96FA177

1 person died.

the decision of the pilot to fly at low altitude and low airspeed within a hazardous performance area published in the pilot operating handbook. Factors in the accident were tailwinds, lack of operator preventative maintenance impairing engine power, airworthiness of the restraint systems, and the pilot's use of prescription drugs that can impair human performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was observed flying at low altitude and low airspeed. Witnesses heard the engine sputter before the helicopter lost control and landed hard in a residential area. Examination of the engine revealed evidence of two exhaust valves had stuck open due to contamination by products of combustion. The engine manufacturer publishes maintenance procedures to prevent such an occurrence that could result in a partial loss of power. The helicopter operator elected not to perform the recommended procedure. The pilot's shoulder harness failed, whereas the passenger's did not. The failure occurred in a worn area where the harness bends over the seat back. Both shoulder harnesses were not marked with the required data. The cloth data tags were missing. The history or manufacturer of the shoulder harnesses was not determined. The helicopter had an annual inspection about 6 months before the accident. Since the annual, a 100-hour and a 50-hour inspection had been accomplished. The inspections failed to detect the discrepancies with the shoulder harnesses. Toxicological testing revealed the presence in the blood of desalkylflurazepam, an active metabolite of flurazepam (Dalmane), commonly used to treat insomnia, and the presence in the urine of pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, ephrdrine, and salicylate, substances commonly found in over-the-counter cold medications.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.