- Date
- August 11, 1986, 12:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Laurens, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7442FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860811039419A
- Case key
- 6956
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 plt was flying an underground cable patrol at 500-600 ft AGL when the accident occurred. The plt reported pwr was set at 20' hg, 3,000 RPM when a 'very loud pop' was heard. The plt likened the sound to being hit by ground fire. The acft yawed and the eng oversped. An autorotation was performed into an abandoned mining pit. The acft nosed up and rolled over on its right side. The plt stated that the eng would respond to throttle but the main rotor would not follow pwr changes. The main rotor transmission to have a ring gear carrier failure. AD 81-1704 and related service notice concerning this part had not been complied with.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7442F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 460498
- Airframe hours
- 2,157
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-01A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mid-State/Executing Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 19, 1986 · 94 hours before
- Departed
- GRD · Greenwood, SC
- Destination
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 160 in this make and model · 160 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 25 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.