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20000327004509A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Hughes 269C · Del Rio, TX · March 27, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 27, 2000 · 07:40 local
Place
Del Rio, TX
Phase of flight
Low Level Operations
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N1110N
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA00GA121
Reported as
Hughes 269C
Reported engine
Lycoming HIO360D1A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
2,767 total2,250 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days
N1110NRegistration cancelled Sep 8, 2016 · Hughes 269CS/N 611064 · Built 1981Airframe modelHughes 269CEngine modelLycoming HIO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

(.23) Aircraft impacted ground during professional coyote hunt. Helicopter was demolished. There was no fire. Rotors did not appear to be turning at high RPM on impact. There were two fatalities. The pilot and the usda shooter. The accident is still under investigation. Engine is being torn down by manufacturer to locate possible cause. (.4) according to the ground crew, there were no witnesses to the accident. Five minutes after initial radio contact with the helicopter in preparation for a coyote eradication mission, contact was lost. The wreckage was found about 2-miles from its launch point. The wreckage revealed signs of a high rate of descent terrain collision with low or no engine and rotor speed. On-site and subsequent examination of the rotorcraft's engine, engine components, transmission, clutch, main and tail rotor drive trains, and flight controls revealed no mechanical malfunction or failure. A spent shotgun shell was found lying loose under the seat panel that possessed a crush mark that appeared to fit between two crushing surfaces, namely, the throttle bell crank and the coorelator assembly for the right seat where the right colle ctive control column had been removed. The jam scenario was simulated numerous and separate times with an undamaged HU-269C and identical spent shotgun shells, both by the usda accident investigator and the NTSB investigator. It was determined the jam only interfered with throttle action toward the decrease power setting and was easily overpowered by a stronger twisting action.

As the FAA filed it

(.23) AIRCRAFT IMPACTED GROUND DURING PROFESSIONAL COYOTE HUNT. HELICOPTER WAS DEMOLISHED. THERE WAS NO FIRE. ROTORS DID NOT APPEAR TO BE TURNING AT HIGH RPM ON IMPACT. THERE WERE TWO FATALITIES. THE PILOT AND THE USDA SHOOTER. THE ACCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. ENGINE IS BEING TORN DOWN BY MANUFACTURER TO LOCATE POSSIBLE CAUSE. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE GROUND CREW, THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. FIVE MINUTES AFTER INITIAL RADIO CONTACT WITH THE HELICOPTER IN PREPARATION FOR A COYOTE ERADICATION MISSION, CONTACT WAS LOST. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ABOUT 2-MILES FROM ITS LAUNCH POINT. THE WRECKAGE REVEALED SIGNS OF A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT TERRAIN COLLISION WITH LOW OR NO ENGINE AND ROTOR SPEED. ON-SITE AND SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE ROTORCRAFT'S ENGINE, ENGINE COMPONENTS, TRANSMISSION, CLUTCH, MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR DRIVE TRAINS, AND FLIGHT CONTROLS REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. A SPENT SHOTGUN SHELL WAS FOUND LYING LOOSE UNDER THE SEAT PANEL THAT POSSESSED A CRUSH MARK THAT APPEARED TO FIT BETWEEN TWO CRUSHING SURFACES, NAMELY, THE THROTTLE BELL CRANK AND THE COORELATOR ASSEMBLY FOR THE RIGHT SEAT WHERE THE RIGHT COLLE CTIVE CONTROL COLUMN HAD BEEN REMOVED. THE JAM SCENARIO WAS SIMULATED NUMEROUS AND SEPARATE TIMES WITH AN UNDAMAGED HU-269C AND IDENTICAL SPENT SHOTGUN SHELLS, BOTH BY THE USDA ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR AND THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR. IT WAS DETERMINED THE JAM ONLY INTERFERED WITH THROTTLE ACTION TOWARD THE DECREASE POWER SETTING AND WAS EASILY OVERPOWERED BY A STRONGER TWISTING ACTION.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB MIA00GA121Accident · 2 fatalFinal reportDel Rio, TXAn in-flight loss of control while maneuvering for undetermined reasons resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain. A factor in the accident was the in-flight loss of engine power and rotor rpm.Mar 27, 2000 · Destroyed

Other reports on N1110N · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19931208051189ISlope Landing · Kailua Kona, HIStudent allowed an excessive rate of descent to develop. Landed on down sloping terrain. Tail rotor struck a rock.Dec 8, 1993 · Minor damage