Hughes 300 N9685F

Summary

On 22 November 2017 at about 16:00 local time, a Hughes 300 registered N9685F was involved in an accident near Woodlawn, Virginia, 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

22 November 2017 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Woodlawn, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.7719, -80.8983

Aircraft

Hughes 300

Registration

N9685F

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Galax Hillsville → Woodlawn

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA060

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inappropriate descent profile during landing with a quartering gusting tailwind, which resulted in a loss of main rotor rpm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that he was landing on a pad in a confined area. He added that, as he approached the landing pad, he slowed the helicopter to transition to a hover. The main rotor rpm began to drop, and he applied full throttle, but the rpm continued to decline. The helicopter was unable to maintain altitude and slowly settled into the trees on the hillside about 20 ft short of the landing pad. Subsequently, the helicopter struck the trees and rolled onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, after the accident, he noticed there was a significant right quartering tailwind, which required the application of more left pedal than anticipated. He further explained that the increased application of antitorque pedal lessened the available power to maintain the main rotor rpm. He concluded that the approach could have been completed safely with a steeper and faster approach to better manage engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.