Hughes 269C N9643F
28 May 2003 · Watkins, Colorado, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 28 May 2003 at about 15:05 local time, a Hughes 269C registered N9643F was involved in an accident near Watkins, Colorado, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 15:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Watkins, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Front Range Airport (FTG)
- Coordinates
- 39.7836, -104.5350
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C
- Registration
- N9643F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Watkins → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN03FA090
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
failure of both pilots to initiate a timely recovery from a practice autorotation. A contributing factor was the instructor's inadequate supervision of the pilot receiving instruction.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Witnesses said the helicopter had been flying in a left-hand traffic pattern, practicing autorotations to a taxiway. The helicopter had flown the pattern approximately five times and each time, the helicopter descended in a nose-down attitude, leveled off and hovered, "sometimes rising slightly." The witness who saw the accident said the "helicopter descended in a nose-down attitude, but it did not appear to level off. It appeared to strike the ground with its right skid." He saw a cloud of dust and saw the helicopter start spinning around rapidly. It struck the ground, rolled over on its right side, and came to rest between two taxiways. The instructor was fatally injured and the pilot receiving instruction was seriously injured. There was no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the airframe or engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 2003 | Hughes 269C | Columbia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 2003 | Hughes 269A | Huntsville, Alabama, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 2003 | Hughes 269C | Snohomish, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jul 2003 | Hughes 269C | Melba, Idaho, United States | Silverhawk Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2003 | Hughes 269C | Marblemount, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 2003 | Hughes 269C-1 | Scappoose, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |