Hughes 269A N63HD
29 May 2007 · Las Piedras, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 29 May 2007 at about 12:15 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N63HD was involved in an accident near Las Piedras, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 12:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Las Piedras, United States
- Nearest airport
- Boqueron (PR07)
- Coordinates
- 18.2017, -65.8389
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A
- Registration
- N63HD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Las Piedras → Las Piedras
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA07CA103
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the non-certificated pilot to maintain a proper rate of descent during the autorotative landing following a reported loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, resulting in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that he took off from his home airstrip, and during the initial climb at 350 feet and 55 mph, the engine quit. At the time there were power lines in front of him so he opted to make a left 90-degree auto rotation. The helicopter was landed hard causing damage to the tail boom of the helicopter. The passenger stated that about 40 seconds after takeoff, he heard a "pop pop" noise. The aircraft started a fast descent and impacted the ground. His injuries include a burst L1 vertebra. Examination of the helicopter was performed by an FAA airworthiness inspector, which revealed the engine was turned by hand without binding. The aircraft's spark plugs were in good condition and the fuel filter was clean and non-obstructed; fuel was noted in the filter. The flight controls were found to be free and moving. No anomalies with the aircraft or engine were reported by the FAA inspector. Inspection of the aircraft's logbooks revealed that the last annual inspection was performed on June 01,1997.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2007 | Hughes 269C | Baker City, Oregon, United States | Baker Aircraft | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Jul 2007 | Hughes 269C | Three Forks, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 2007 | Hughes 269C | Ramona, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 2007 | Hughes 269A | Fulshear, Texas, United States | Orville Gaither | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Dec 2006 | Hughes 269C | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2008 | Hughes 269B | Cook, Minnesota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2007 | Piper PA-30 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2007 | Learjet | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | D&D Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2007 | Cessna 172 | Meriden, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 2007 | Ayres S2R-T41 | Turrell, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |