# Accident 19981010029009A: Hughes 269C, Oshkosh, NE, October 10, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 1998, 16:00 local time
- Place: Oshkosh, NE
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4010° N, 102.3406° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4010&lon=-102.3406&mi=10
- Aircraft: N151KC, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N151KC) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schweizer 269C (registry code 8059502, https://openairdocs.org/model/schweizer-269c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming HIO-360 series (registry code 41524, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-hio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 269C
- Reported engine: LYC HIO360D1A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,928 total, 78 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA006) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981010029009A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

HELICOPTER WAS MAKING A LOW LEVEL DESCENDING TURN INTO THE WIND WHEN IT STRUCK HILLY TERRAIN AND ROLLED OVER. (.19) ON OCTOBER 13, 1998, AT 1615 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SCHWEIZER 269C, N151KC, OEPRATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING OVER OPEN LAND 15 MILES EAST OF OSHKOSH, NEBRASKA. THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS OPERATING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM OSHKOSH, NEBRASKA, AT 1530 MDT. (.4) THE PILOT WAS CHECKING CATTLE WHILE FLYING OVER 'CHOPPY' TERRAIN AT AN ALTITUDE OF 150 TO 175 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. HE WAS FLYING TO THE SOUTHEAST THEN MADE A TURN TO THE NORTHEAST (DOWNWIND) AND HAD JUST STARTED A TURN BACK TO THE SOUTHEAST WHEN THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SETTLE. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED UNEVEN TERRAIN AND ROLLED OVER TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT REPORTED THE WINDS WERE FROM THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST AT 20 KNOTS WITH SLIGHT GUSTS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI99LA006](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA006), Oct 10, 1998: Schweizer 269C (N151KC), Oshkosh, NE, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter. Factors associated with the accident were the high winds, low altitude at which the pilot was maneuvering and the uneven terrain which the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.