20120305028769A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Hughes 269C · Staples, TX · March 5, 2012

Date: March 5, 2012 · 11:35 local
Place: Staples, TX
Airport: San Marcos Municipal
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N1099N
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN12LA181
Reported as: Hughes 269C
Reported engine: Lycoming HIO-360 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 143 total100 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N1099NRegistration cancelled Jan 31, 2013 · Hughes 269CS/N 700939 · Built 1980 Airframe modelHughes 269C Engine 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.

Pilot said that they were flying straight and level around 500 feet. They heard a metal pop sound and the aircraft went tinto a vigorous vibration and loss of yaw control, immediately performed an autorotation, at that time the vibration lessened. At the end of the autorotation during the flare the vibration picked back up and aircraft hit the ground.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT SAID THAT THEY WERE FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AROUND 500 FEET. THEY HEARD A METAL POP SOUND AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT TINTO A VIGOROUS VIBRATION AND LOSS OF YAW CONTROL, IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION, AT THAT TIME THE VIBRATION LESSENED. AT THE END OF THE AUTOROTATION DURING THE FLARE THE VIBRATION PICKED BACK UP AND AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND.

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 CEN12LA181Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportStaples, TXThe pilot's failure to attain the proper descent rate during autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident were the inflight vibrations and loss of torque pedal response for undetermined reasons.Mar 5, 2012 · Substantial damage