- Date
- June 21, 1990, 20:00 local (Jun 22, 1990, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Saluda, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7448FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900621022059A
- Case key
- 8250
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
Pilot's failure to properly plan for high density altitude operations, which resulted in settling with power to the ground.
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 purpose of the flight was to practice low level maneuvers for utility line observation. The temperature was in excess of 100 degrees and the pilot was operating at 100 feet above the ground at slow airspeeds. The density altitude was estimated at 4200 feet. The pilot began a right turn and the helicopter began descending. The pilot said he added power, but the helicopter continued settling until it collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7448F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 560510
- Airframe hours
- 3,556
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southeast Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 21, 1990 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 6J4
- Destination
- 1
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 237 total · 6 in this make and model · 137 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 102 °F
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 N7448F · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.