- Date
- December 26, 1990, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sellersburg, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N90270Hughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901226056189A
- Case key
- 14972
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A pilot induced loss of engine power by inadvertent deactivation of the fuel mixture control.
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 checking the radios during a low altitude flight. The pilot wanted some cabin heat, reached for the cabin heater lever, and moved it to what he believed was the full 'on' position. He later learned he moved the fuel mixture control to the full 'lean' position. The helicopter's engine failed and the pilot had little time to affect a stabilized autorotation. After touchdown the helicopter slid sideways on wet sod and rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90270
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 66-18283
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hap'S Aerial Enterprises
- Registered owner
- James R. Braunbeck
- Departed
- JVY · Sellersburg, 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,800 total · 5,050 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LOU, 16 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 N90270 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.