- Date
- June 18, 1985, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5203VHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850618026269A
- Case key
- 16707
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.
Hard landing
Rotor rpm - not maintainedCause
Supervision - inadequateCause
Autorotation - attemptedCause
Analysis
On June 18, 1985, a student plt and his instructor were on alocal tng flt. Prior to completing the mission, the instructor had his student execute a 180 degree autorotation. During the maneuver, the main rotor RPM was allowed to decay into the critical range which resulted in a hard landing and subsequently destroyed the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5203V
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1156
- Airframe hours
- 1,215
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-D1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 7, 1985 · 30 hours before
- Airport
- GFK · Mark Andrews, runway 35R, 400 × 50 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,661 total · 224 in this make and model · 1,374 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.