19810309010319A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Hughes 369D · Madera, CA · March 9, 1981

Date
March 9, 1981 · 16:00 local
Place
Madera, CA
Phase of flight
Hovering
Operating rules
Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8681F
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX81DVA27
Reported as
Hughes 369D
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,910 total1,060 in this make and model141 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 shaft coupling separated while in hover with sling load. Hit ground in spinning motion.

As the FAA filed it

TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT COUPLING SEPARATED WHILE IN HOVER WITH SLING LOAD. HIT GROUND IN SPINNING MOTION.

NTSB investigation

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