Hughes 269A N8503A

Summary

On 27 January 2007 at about 22:16 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N8503A, operated by Orville Gaither, was involved in an accident near Fulshear, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 January 2007 at 22:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Fulshear, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Covey Trails (80XS)

Coordinates

29.7119, -95.8514

Aircraft

Hughes 269A

Registration

N8503A

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Orville Gaither

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fulshear → Fulshear

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07LA061

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The owner of the helicopter reported that a cylinder had been replaced and he asked a pilot to conduct a short test flight after he completed the cylinder "brake-in" process. The pilot reported that the helicopter experience a large yaw and lost power while at 500 feet above the ground. The pilot was forced to clear ground obstacles during the autorotation which resulted in a loss of main rotor rpm. The helicopter fell vertically from 50-feet, resulting in a hard landing. There was no fire. All three main rotor blades were destroyed and the tail boom separated from the airframe. Ten gallons of aviation fuel were drained from the helicopter prior to recovery. No discrepancies were found with the airframe of the engine that could have contributed to the reported loss of engine power. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. The pilot held a private pilot certificate, and had accumulated a total of 1,200-hours, with 80-hours in rotorcraft, of which 40-hours were in the same make and model helicopter. Weather was not a factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.