Hughes 269A N9064N

Summary

On 23 April 2008 at about 22:50 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N9064N was involved in an accident near Killeen, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 April 2008 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Killeen, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.0858, -97.6864

Aircraft

Hughes 269A

Registration

N9064N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Killeen → Killeen

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08CA114

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor RPM and a safe rate of descent during the autorotation. A contributing factor was the gusty winds.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While practicing an autorotation maneuver, the pilot rolled the throttle back on and began a power recovery before reducing the throttle to continue the autorotation. The helicopter's airspeed decreased to approximately 40 knots at 300 feet above ground level (AGL). The pilot attempted to go-around but was unable to increase the rotor RPM (rotations per minute.) The helicopter continued to sink as the flight instructor attempted to increase power and reduce the sink rate. The flight instructor lowered the helicopter's nose in an attempt to increase airspeed. At 50 feet AGL the pilot reported that a gust of wind decreased the helicopter's airspeed further resulting in an increased sink rate. The flight instructor flared the helicopter as it approached the ground. The helicopter contacted the ground and rolled coming to rest on its side.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.