# Accident 20200806008229A: Hughes 369A, Chesterfield, MO, August 6, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 6, 2020, 15:14 local time
- Place: Chesterfield, MO
- Airport: Spirit Of Saint Louis Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6636° N, 90.6447° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6636&lon=-90.6447&mi=10
- Aircraft: N911EP (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 6,338 total, 6,338 in this make and model, 65 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20CA326](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA326) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200806008229A

## Narrative

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

THE  PILOT AND INSTRUCTOR WERE 1.5 HOURS INTO THE TRAINING FOR THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT.  THIS WAS THE FIRST LANDING UPON RETURN TO THEIR  HOME AIRPORT AFTER CONDUCTING SETTLING WITH POWER, CONFINED AREA, PINNACLE AND SLOPE LANDING IN THE LABADIE AREA; AND RUNNING LANDINGS, STUCK PEDAL MANEUVERS, AND POWER RECOVERY AUTOROTATIONS AT WASHINGTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (KFYG).  THE INSTRUCTOR PERFORMED THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATION LANDING TO THE WEST ON TAXIWAY F AS A DEMONSTRATION FOR THE PILOT IN TRAINING. BOTH PILOTS STATED THE DESCENT, ROTOR RPM, SPEED, DECELERATION FLARE AND LEVEL OFF WERE NORMAL.   THE FINAL PORTION OF THE TOUCHDOWN WAS A NORMAL FIRM TOUCHDOWN FOR AN AUTOROTATION.  THE INSTRUCTOR DESCRIBED USING ALL THE AVAILABLE COLLECTIVE UPWARD TRAVEL WHEN HE FELT A BUMP IN THE CYCLIC AND THE COLLECTIVE BECAME DIFFICULT TO HOLD FULL DOWN.  THE AIRCRAFT SHOOK VIOLENTLY TO A STOP.  THE INSTRUCTOR CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN AND BOTH PILOTS EXITED WITHOUT ASSISTANCE.

THE INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSED THE LIGHT TAILWIND AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE DIFFERENCES IN LANDING GEAR HEIGHT BETWEEN THE HUGHES 369A AND THE MD-500 AS A POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.  THE HIGH PROFILE LANDING GEAR OF THE MD-500 AND THE LOW LANDING GEAR OF THE HUGHES 369A CREATES A SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT SIGHT PICTURE.  THE WINDS WERE REPORTED IN A SPECIAL OBSERVATION AT 15:28 (20:58 ZULU) AS VARIABLE AT 3 KNOTS.   THE WINDSOCK NEXT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED A WIND FROM 080 DEGREES AN APPROXIMATELY 5 KNOTS.  THE PILOT INDICATED THE WINDS WERE ABOUT THE SAME 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 CEN20CA326](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA326), Aug 6, 2020: Hughes 369A (N911EP), St Louis, MO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight instructor's failure to maintain helicopter control which resulted in a hard landing while preforming a practice autorotation.

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.

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