- Date
- May 2, 1988, 13:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Greenwood, SC
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N58197Hughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880502012229A
- Case key
- 7751
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 reported that the engine RPM began to drop. Shortly after he took off from an open field. He opened the throttle further in an attempt to regain RPM but the engine did not respond. The helicopter subsequently crashed onto a bldg roof as the plt attempted to land while avoiding pwr lines and other obstacles. Post-crash exam revealed that the throttle-cable end-fitting had separated from the throttle cable pushrod at the fuel injector servo. Metallurgical exam of the fitting and pushrod joining threads revealed uneven wear that had resulted from fretting. Service notice N-196 issued by the mfr requires inspection of the throttle cable for wear every 100 operating hrs. The notice was not complied with at the last inspection 4 flt hours before the accident. According to the acft maint records, the notice was last complied with about 189 hrs earlier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58197
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 680697
- Airframe hours
- 7,766
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mid-States Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 2, 1988 · 4 hours before
- Destination
- 8A6 · 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,380 total · 2,573 in this make and model · 364 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 6 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.