# Accident 20011117037809A: Hughes 269C, Richmond, TX, November 17, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: November 17, 2001, 17:30 local time - Place: Richmond, TX - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 29.5802° N, 95.7600° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.5802&lon=-95.7600&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9294F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9294F-2013-08-21) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Hughes 269C (registry code 4470504, https://openairdocs.org/model/hughes-269c) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: HUGHES 269C - Reported engine: LYC HIO360D1A - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 650 total, 50 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA038](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA038) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011117037809A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON NOVEMBER 17, 2001, APPROXIMATELY 1800 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A HUGHES 269C HELICOPTER, N9294F, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED POWER LINES WHILE LANDING TO A FIELD NEAR RICHMOND, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER WAS NOT INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED A NEARBY HELIPAD AT AN UNKNOWN TIME. THE FAA INSPECTOR, WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED THAT THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND THE HELICOPTER NEAR A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED POWER LINES. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND UPRIGHT ON THE SKIDS. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND TAILBOOM WERE SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. (-23) HELICOPTER STRUCK POWER LINES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON THE GROUNDS OF A FRIEND'S HOUSE. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT, SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE PILOT AND MINOR INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER WERE INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE CRASH. RECORDS INDICATE THAT PILOT DAVID CHRISTOPHER IS A PRIVATE PI LOT, NOT HELICOPTER RATED. (.4) ON NOVEMBER 17, 2001, APPROXIMATELY 1730 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A HUGHES 269C HELICOPTER, N9294F, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED POWER LINES WHILE LANDING AT A FIELD NEAR RICHMOND, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE PASSENGER WAS NOT INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT DEPARTED DAMON, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 1710. THE FAA INSPECTOR, WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED THAT THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO WAS NOT HELICOPTER RATED, WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND THE HELICOPTER NEAR A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED POWER LINES. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A GRASS FIELD. THE TAILBOOM WAS SEVERED BY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE BENT AND FRACTURED, AND THE SKIDS WERE SPREAD UP AND OUTWARD, LEVEL WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE CABIN SECTION. DUE TO INJURIES SUSTAINED DUR ING THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR AN INTERVIEW AND UNABLE TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF THE EVENT. ## 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 FTW02LA038](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA038), Nov 17, 2001: Hughes 269C (N9294F), Richmond, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power line while landing. ## Other reports on N9294F (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19941102037219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19941102037219A), Nov 2, 1994: Hughes 269C (N9294F), Garden City, KS, Substantial damage. Landed. Got out rotors engine idling gusty winds flapping rotors caused power increase. Helicopter struck building. 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.