- Date
- April 13, 1988, 11:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrenceville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N42JWHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 7788
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 instructor reported that he initiated a sim engine failure during climb at about 100 ft AGL, as part of the recurrency flight. The pilot initiated an autorotation, at about 50 ft AGL, the rate of descent increased and the throttle was rolled in to arrest the descent. According to the check plt, the engine failed to respond, and a flare was initiated in an attempt to slow the helo. The helo subsequently impacted the terrain in a tail-low attitude and rolled over. The pvt plt noted that he & the instructor had performed 3 prior sim engine failures shortly before, and had executed a powered recovery to a hover after each maneuver. Exam of the helo revealed no evidence of pre-existing mechanical malfunction or failure. The fuel-injected engine started and ran normal after 3-4 start attempts, and responded to throttle inputs in a normal manner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42JW
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0521
- Airframe hours
- 4,134
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mid State/Executive Helcopter
- Registered owner
- Mid-State/Executive Helic.Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 05GA · Norcross, GA
- Airport
- 17A · Gwinnett County
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,025 total · 564 in this make and model · 840 as pilot in command · 116 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg