Aviation Crash Map

Hughes 269A N37754

19 September 2012 · Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 19 September 2012 at about 17:30 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N37754, operated by Star City Flying Club LLC, was involved in an accident near Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska, 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.

The record

Date
at 17:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska, United States
Coordinates
40.7410, -97.5909
Aircraft
Hughes 269A
Registration
N37754
Category
Helicopter
Engines
1
Operator
Star City Flying Club LLC
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Instructional
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
McCool Junction → McCool Junction
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN12LA648

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot’s entry into the autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power as a result of the student pilot rapidly lowering the helicopter’s collective and the partly obstructed air filter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff, about 400 feet above ground level and about 50 knots airspeed, the flight instructor reduced the throttle to idle so the student pilot could demonstrate an autorotation. The student dropped the collective to enter the autorotation, and the engine stopped producing power; the helicopter descended rapidly and landed hard. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed an obstructed air filter. It is likely that the student lowered the collective too quickly, which, combined with the obstructed air filter, created a rich fuel mixture and loss of engine power. The student pilot mismanaged the autorotation and the instructor did not intervene in a timely manner to prevent the hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Hughes 269 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
2 May 2012 Hughes 269C
N380TL
Phoenix, Arizona, United States Canyon State Aero Serious injuries -
24 Jul 2012 Hughes 269C
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St. Petersburg, Florida, United States - No injuries -
17 Apr 2012 Hughes 269A
N69HJ
Grinnell, Iowa, United States - No injuries -
29 Apr 2011 Hughes 269B
N9561F
Edgerton, Indiana, United States Heartland Helicopters LLC No injuries -
14 Oct 2011 Hughes 269A
N10375
Fort Worth, Texas, United States - No injuries -
25 Mar 2013 Hughes 269C
N90570
Rialto, California, United States Western Helicopters Inc. No injuries -

All 1,213 records for this type

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23 Feb 2012 Boeing 737-7H4
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Pawnee, Nebraska, United States Southwest Airlines Co Serious injuries -
29 Nov 2012 Ercoupe 415-C
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28 Sep 2012 Barche DESTINY XLT
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3 May 2012 Air Tractor AT-301
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All 170,864 records in United States