Hughes 269A N8885F
1 November 2002 · Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 1 November 2002 at about 17:50 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N8885F was involved in an accident near Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 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 17:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.7764, -95.1364
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A
- Registration
- N8885F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cookson → Tulsa
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW03FA028
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The in-flight separation of the tail boom resulting from the failure of the fuselage to tail boom attachment fitting lugs, due to fatigue.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During cruise flight, the helicopter experienced an in-flight breakup. Witnesses observed what appeared to be tail rotor, and main rotor components separate from the helicopter as it flew overhead. One of the witnesses reported that a portion of the tail rotor separated, and as helicopter pitched to the right, the main rotor separated. Subsequently, the helicopter's main fuselage started to spin and descended vertically toward the ground. Another witness reported that he heard a "pop," and observed the main rotor slowing, wobbling, stop turning, break away from the helicopter, and travel forward of the helicopter. He reported that the helicopter pitched "nose forward and then fell almost vertical." The main rotor assembly was found approximately 450 feet east of the main wreckage site, and the tail rotor components were found with the main wreckage. Metallurgical examination revealed that the left cluster fitting lugs (P/N 269A2234), which attached to the left tail boom strut, failed due to fatigue.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 2002 | Hughes 269C | Bessemer, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2002 | Hughes 269A | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Hughes 269A-1 | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2002 | Hughes 269C | Lorain, Ohio, United States | Hurst Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 2002 | Hughes 269C | Dannevirke, New Zealand | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Aug 2002 | Hughes 269A | Covington, Washington, United States | Charles Douglas | No injuries | - |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 2002 | Mooney M20A | Norman, Oklahoma, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 2002 | Bombardier CL-600-2B19 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | Comair Inc | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 2002 | Cessna 152 | Ardmore, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 2002 | Piper PA-28-161 | Norman, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 2002 | Piper PA-34-220T | McAlester, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 20 May 2002 | Cessna 550 | Bethany, Oklahoma, United States | Avalon Correctional Services Inc. | Minor injuries | - |