- Date
- March 13, 1989, 07:20 local (12:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bexley, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N300PPHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890313003519A
- Case key
- 7995
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The inadequate maintenance inspection of the engine following evidence of previous damage which led to the failure of the no. 1 cylinder exhaust valve.
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 helicopter was in cruise flight at 500 feet AGL when the engine quit without warning. An autorotation was executed to an open field. The tailboom was severed by the main rotor blades. Post accident examination of the engine revealed the no. 1 cylinder exhaust valve failed. Further investigation revealed the engine had been damaged previously oversped about 60 hours prior the exhaust valve failure. Engine maintenance records contained no evidence of an overspeed inspection but did reveal that the no. 2 cylinder was removed because of oil fouling. The engine was operated two tenths of an hour after replacement of the cylinder and suffered failure of the no. 1 cylinder exhaust valve.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N300PP
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 900958
- Airframe hours
- 1,951
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Baumberger, Terry F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1989 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- 2I4 · Columbus, OH
- Destination
- 2I4
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,360 total · 250 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 14 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.