- Date
- May 3, 1982, 17:08 local (21:08 UTC)
- Place
- Flint, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N8963FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820503055049A
- Case key
- 70687
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 aircrew were on an instructional flight to prepare the student, a rated pilot, for a flight instructor rating. After practicing several autorotation approaches, the helicopter was landed. The instructor pilot (ip) stated that after touchdown, he and the student were in a discussion when they heard a loud "pop". The ip deplaned and inspected the helicopter, but found no irregularities. They took off and performed another autorotation. After touchdown, the collective was lowered, the helicopter pitched left and forward, and the rotor blades contacted the ground and tail boom. An investigation revealed that the left front shock strut damper assembly, no: 269A3150-5, had failed. Total time on the part was 3614 hrs. According to a metallurigical report, a single overload fracture was found at the clevis on the piston end of the damper. The CFI did not report any hard landings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8963F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 430200
- Airframe hours
- 3,614
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360D1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Don D. Goble
- Registered owner
- Helicopters Ltd.
- Departed
- FNT · Flint, MI
- Destination
- FNT · Flint, MI
- Airport
- FNT · Bishop, runway 36, 7,850 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,540 total · 180 in this make and model · 4,234 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 14 statute miles
- Temperature
- 160 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FNT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.