- Date
- September 25, 1990, 10:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Jefferson, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1094DHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900925042309A
- Case key
- 11559
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 failure of the tail rotor drive transmission system due to a worn tail rotor splined drive sleeve, and inadequate maintenance and/or inspection by the operator. Contributing to the loss of control was the student pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor RPM due to inexperience.
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
According to witnesses the acft came apart in the air. Radar data shows the acft at 2600 ft when it turned about 35 degrees right in about 4 seconds. The acft sustained general disintegation. Examination revealed that the splines of the tail rotor splined drive sleeve were excessively worn, rendering loss of transmission of torque to the tail rotor. Two other HU-269 acft had similiar wear of the splined sleeve. 300-HR inspection requires that the upper pulley assembly be removed and inspected, and bearings lubricated. Schweizer acft corp had issued service bulletin N-219 a month before the accident which required retorquing of the spline retaining nut. However, the acft was within the required compliance time, and the bulletin was not done.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1094D
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 600935
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- New Horizon Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- White Ox Enterprise Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- W16 · Winchester, VA
- Destination
- FDK · Frederick, MD
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 27 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 27 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.