19791018037069A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Hughes 369HS · West Trenton, NJ · October 18, 1979

Date
October 18, 1979 · 15:58 local
Place
West Trenton, NJ
Airport
Mercer Co
Phase of flight
Hovering
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N501RP
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC80FHD03
Reported as
Hughes 369HS
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
5,446 total415 in this make and model172 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Tail rotor drive failed while hovering at 50 feet. Helicopter spiraled into the ground.

As the FAA filed it

TAIL ROTOR DRIVE FAILED WHILE HOVERING AT 50 FEET. HELICOPTER SPIRALED INTO THE GROUND.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.