- Date
- September 11, 1987, 18:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Morristown, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8709FHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870911051829A
- Case key
- 7517
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
One CFI was demonstrating his procedures for autorotations with power recovery to his employer who was also a CFI. This was to insure standardization within the helicopter pilot school. The autorotation was entered from about 700 feet AGL to the departure airport. At about 50 to 60 feet AGL, the flare for landing was initiated and power was applied for the recovery. Reportedly, the application of power was too late for recovery and the helicopter contacted the ground in a nose high attitude. Subsequently, the main rotor blades severed the tail boom and the helicopter rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8709F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 111021
- Airframe hours
- 2,850
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360-B1B, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hal-Le-Copters,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Donald F Francis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1987 · 97 hours before
- Airport
- MOR · Moore-Murrell
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,269 total · 95 in this make and model · 3,025 as pilot in command · 162 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 38 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8709F · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.