- Date
- May 7, 1988, 12:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Minneapolis, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9487FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 14072
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 pilot was executing a downwind takeoff, the winds reportedly gusting to 25 knots, loaded with two passengers, when just after takeoff the pilot stated the helicopter experienced a loss of power. The pilot then attempted to execute an autorotation, but during the emergency descent the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. As a result the helicopter struck a moving vehicle with its tail rotor and subsequently collided with the terrain. The helicopter was approximately 130 lbs under gross wt at the time of takeoff. When examined and tested the engine operated normally and no mechanical malfunctions were found. Examination of the engine did reveal that a fuel nozzle had been installed in the aircraft's fuel system with a restrictor missing but to compensate for the missing restrictor the fuel servo idle mixture was set at a very lean setting. This was determined not to be a factor in the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9487F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 270313
- Airframe hours
- 2,230
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Warner Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 1987 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- Behtel College, MN
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,543 total · 542 in this make and model · 1,285 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 17 knots, gusting 25
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSP, 12 nm away
Other investigations on N9487F · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.