20020916027609A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Hughes 369D · O'Neill, NE · September 16, 2002

Date: September 16, 2002 · 22:45 local
Place: O'Neill, NE
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N500EK
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI02LA285
Reported as: Hughes 369D

N500EKRegistered now · Hughes Helicopters HUGHES 369DS/N 1190610D · Built 1979 Airframe modelHughes Helicopters HUGHES 369D Engine modelAllison 250-C20Turbo-shaft

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) On September 16, 2002, at 2145 CDT on a cross country flight from harvard, IL, to his cabin in Idaho, the PIC experienced an engine shutdown while in flight. He stated he autorotated to a field nnw of O'Neill, Nebraska. Upon his flare at the bottom of the autorotation, and due to the time being at night with no horizontal reference, he ran out of rotor speed and settled down with a hard landing. The main rotor then transcended the tailboom, cut the tailrotor, driveshaft, tailboom, and gearbox off. The main cabin also received damage when the main rotor blade, damaged after hitting tailboom, was bent and twisted down, hitting the main cabin and right-hand crew door.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2002, AT 2145 CDT ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM HARVARD, IL, TO HIS CABIN IN IDAHO, THE PIC EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE SHUTDOWN WHILE IN FLIGHT. HE STATED HE AUTOROTATED TO A FIELD NNW OF O'NEILL, NEBRASKA. UPON HIS FLARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AUTOROTATION, AND DUE TO THE TIME BEING AT NIGHT WITH NO HORIZONTAL REFERENCE, HE RAN OUT OF ROTOR SPEED AND SETTLED DOWN WITH A HARD LANDING. THE MAIN ROTOR THEN TRANSCENDED THE TAILBOOM, CUT THE TAILROTOR, DRIVESHAFT, TAILBOOM, AND GEARBOX OFF. THE MAIN CABIN ALSO RECEIVED DAMAGE WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE, DAMAGED AFTER HITTING TAILBOOM, WAS BENT AND TWISTED DOWN, HITTING THE MAIN CABIN AND RIGHT-HAND CREW DOOR.

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 CHI02LA285Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportO'Neill, NEA loss of engine power due to turbine blade separation as a result of hot corrosion damage to the turbine blades. Contributing to the accident was the pilot misjudging the flare at the completion of the autorotation resulting in a hard landing. The dark night…Sep 17, 2002 · Substantial damage