FAA incident report · Hughes 369E · Costa Mesa, CA · March 28, 1990
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.
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot exited helicopter with rotors turning to help passenger. It moved and hit a retaining wall with tail rotor.
PILOT EXITED HELICOPTER WITH ROTORS TURNING TO HELP PASSENGER. IT MOVED AND HIT A RETAINING WALL WITH TAIL ROTOR.