# NTSB ERA27LA013: Hughes 269C, N9655F, Gastonia, NC, October 15, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Investigation open
- Date: October 15, 2026, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place: Gastonia, NC
- Location: 35.2621° N, 81.1873° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Gastonia, NC, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2621&lon=-81.1873&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Landing: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation
- NTSB case key (mKey): 204033
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA27LA013
- Latest NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/204033/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA27LA013

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Landing: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Hughes 269C, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=4470504), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md)
- [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Hughes 269C, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=4470504), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N9655F](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9655F), registered now, S/N 910123 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 269C
- Registry model: [Hughes 269C](https://openairdocs.org/model/hughes-269c) (registry code 4470504) (OpenAirDocs)
- Flight: Instructional, Part 91
- Equipment: ADS-B

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 270° at 3 knots

## Other investigations on N9655F (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DFW07CA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW07CA050), Dec 30, 2006: Hughes 269C (N9655F), Mineral Wells, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The loss of control as result of loss of tail rotor effectiveness.

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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