- Date
- May 3, 2000, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Loveland, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1098BHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000503004459A
- Case key
- 49118
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
The pilot misjudged the run on landing during a full autorotation. Factors were a total loss of power for unknown reasons and soft terrain.
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
During a practice power recovery autorotation, the private single engine land rated, helicopter student pilot performed a full autorotation when the engine lost all power. During the ensuing power off landing to an open soft field, the helicopter tipped forward, the main rotor struck and severed the tail boom, and the helicopter rolled on its right side. An examination of the engine provided no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
Factual narrative
On May 3, 2000, at 1200 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N1098B, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing near Loveland, Colorado. The student pilot was not injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot holds a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. On this flight he was a student pilot practicing maneuvers in preparing for a helicopter rating.
The pilot reported that he was practicing autorotations and during initial entry to a practice power recovery autorotation, the engine lost all power and a full autorotation was performed. According to the pilot, he performed a run-on landing in a soft field and the helicopter tipped forward causing the main rotor blades to contact and sever the tail boom. The helicopter then rolled on its right side and spun 180 degrees.
Examination of the engine provided no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1098B
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 400920
- Airframe hours
- 12,147
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-DIA, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Scion Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 29, 1999 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- FNL · Loveland, CO
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 973 total · 67 in this make and model · 740 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FNL, 320 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.