- Date
- August 1, 1992, 10:58 local (15:58 UTC)
- Place
- Aurora, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N58335Hughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920801031089A
- Case key
- 15504
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
Fatigue fracture of the engine crankshaft resulting in loss of power. Factors were the pilot's excessive descent and his lack of total experience.
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 felt a yaw, loss of power and decrease in rotor RPM during cruise. He turned toward homefield and began a descent. Enroute, the engine lost power completely, and he landed hard in an open field. Engine examination revealed the crankshaft separated at a fatigue fracture through the number four rod journal.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58335
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 390762
- Airframe hours
- 2,805
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Great Lakes Helicopter Service
- Registered owner
- Great Lakes Helicopter Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 1992 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- ARR · Sugar Grove, IL
- Destination
- ARR
- Airport
- ARR · Aurora Municipal
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
- Right
- Flight hours
- 109 total · 60 in this make and model · 56 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ARR, 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.