- Date
- April 2, 2022, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort White, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7057LHughes 269A
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: VFR encounter with IMC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220402004879A
- Case key
- 104895
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 non-instrument-rated pilot’s decision to fly a visual flight rules only helicopter in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The weather when the non-instrument-rated helicopter pilot initiated the flight included a ceiling of 250 ft mean sea level (msl) and visibility of ½ mile, which corresponded to instrument meteorological conditions. After flying for 15 minutes, the helicopter “entered a wall of fog.” The pilot attempted to turn the helicopter around and return to an area of better visibility; however, the tail rotor impacted trees. The pilot did not realize that the helicopter was in a right turn and reduced engine power. The helicopter descended to ground in a bank, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and rotor blades. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. According to the helicopter owner’s maintenance and flight manual, “instrument flight [is] prohibited.”
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7057L
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1281052
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 13,948.2
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tri County Rentals And Sales Inc
- Registered owner
- Tri County Rentals And Sales Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2021 · 6.3 hours before
- Departed
- 15FL · Lake City, FL
- Destination
- Trenton, FL
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 75
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 0.25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft indefinitevv
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 29 nm away
- METAR
- KGNV 021335Z 10004KT 1/4SM FG VV002 18/18 A3004 RMK AO2 T01830178
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 25, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 20.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.