- Date
- September 30, 1983, 10:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Indianapolis, IN
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5127XHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830930052759A
- Case key
- 12358
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
While the helicopter was cruising at about 500 ft AGL, the eng lost power. The plt turned into the wind & made an autorotative landing in a corn field. During the landing, the tail boom was severed by the main rotor blades. An exam revealed that the housing which contained the control cable to the fuel shutoff valve was not secured to the attach point on the mount. The loose connection allowed the housing to move away from the panel which resulted in pulling the cable toward the closed position. In turn, this resulted in fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5127X
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1191D
- Airframe hours
- 451
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Why Not Inc.
- Registered owner
- David L. Wilson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1983 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- IND · Indianapolis, IN
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
- 45
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 503 in this make and model · 5,500 as pilot in command · 113 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.