- Date
- November 15, 1990, 10:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Louisville, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9280FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901115050759A
- Case key
- 11645
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
Fatigue failure of the number 1 cylinder connecting rod.
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 pilot was patrolling a pipeline when the engine lost power. He did an autorotation landing in an open field. The investigation revealed the number one cylinder connecting rod cap had fractured. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surface revealed a fatigue crack had originated from a galling mark on the bearing surface of the rod. The engine was operated 39 hours since it was last overhauled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9280F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 540305
- Airframe hours
- 8,409
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · October 1, 1990 · 39 hours before
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,660 total · 2,600 in this make and model · 275 in the last 90 days · 46 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LOU
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 N9280F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.