- Date
- May 26, 1985, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Joliet, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N404ZHughes 300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850526020839A
- Case key
- 12838
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.
On ground/water encounter with terrain/water
Rotorcraft flight controls - improper use ofCause
Analysis
The helicopter experienced extreme vertical vibrations while landing from a hover. Inadvertent ground contact during uncontrolled oscillations resulted in destruction of the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N404Z
- Reported as
- Hughes 300
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1201007
- Airframe hours
- 1,714
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360D7A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle Air Helicopters, doing business as Eagle Air Helicopters
- Registered owner
- 404z Partnership
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 21, 1985 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Joliet, IL
- Destination
- JOT · Joliet, IL
N404ZRegistration cancelled Sep 16, 2014 · Hughes 269CAirframe modelHughes 269CEngine modelLycoming HIO-360 series
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 76 total · 54 in this make and model · 29 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.