- Date
- May 25, 1985, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Indianapolis, IN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5219AHughes 369E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850525020859A
- Case key
- 12840
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
As the helicopter was on downwind for the heliport, the plt experienced an pwr interruption and eventually a eng failure. He was attempting an autorotation to railroad tracks when he saw wires. He managed to miss the wires but by doing so he expended the rotor RPM and crashed onto the railroad tracks and the helicopter rolled over. Inspection revealed the bypass hose from the eng fuel pump filter to the fuel filter pressure switch was twisted. The fitting on the fuel filter was found loose and could be turned with finger pressure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5219A
- Reported as
- Hughes 369E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0136E
- Airframe hours
- 45
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hughes Helicopter Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 7, 1985 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- IND · Indianapolis, IN
- Destination
- IN03 · 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,325 total · 980 in this make and model · 1,568 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IND, 4 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.