- Date
- May 15, 1985, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Stonington, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7485FHughes 269
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850515017399A
- Case key
- 13067
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
After completing a swath run, the plt maneuvered the helicopter up over a power line, then made a turn-around for another swath run. He stated that as he started the next run, he 'felt the wind push the tail upward forcing the nose downward...' He applied aft cyclic to level the helicopter & full collective to stop the descent. However, the helicopter impacted the ground in a level attitude, then rolled forward & came to rest inverted. About 13 mi northeast at decatur, IL, the 1800 CDT wind was from 280 deg at 16 KTS. The plt reported the wind was gusting to 24 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7485F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 570599
- Airframe hours
- 2,610
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Ray Phillips, doing business as Perkinson Copters,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Perkinson'S Copters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 6, 1985 · 47 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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,780 total · 450 in this make and model · 1,685 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEC, 13 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.
Other investigations on N7485F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.