- Date
- September 23, 1984, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Saluda, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9339FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840923050779A
- Case key
- 6549
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed during an attempted practice autorotation after power was applied to effect a recovery. The CFI, on theflt, stated that he noticed that the student was going to overshoot and instructed him to make a power recovery at 100 ft AGL. He said that the acft shuddered and entered a high sink rate. By the time the CFI took the controls, it was noticed that the rotor RPM was below the proper range and decaying. The engine RPM was noted to be near zero. The CFI reported that he then 'bottomed' the collective and opened the throttle but the engine did not respond. In spite of the cfi's efforts to recover, the acft hit the ground tail low and yawed left. After sliding aprx 20 ft, the acft rolled over. FAA checked the engine after the roll over and found it started and ran normally with proper magneto operation anda smooth idle at 1300-1350 RPM. Manually reduced to 500-600 RPM the low side cushion returned the engine to normal idle at throttle release. No evidence of an engine malfuction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9339F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 34-0049
- Airframe hours
- 60,003
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- South Carolina Helicopter, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 27, 1984 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- Saluda, SC
- Airport
- Etheredge Air-Strip, runway 30, 1,700 × ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 533 total · 127 in this make and model · 410 as pilot in command · 199 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.