- Date
- October 4, 1982, 14:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Balmorhea, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8045FHughes TH-55A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821004050929A
- Case key
- 69876
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.
Analysis
A Hughes helicopter was damaged when it lost power during takeoff and was crashed into a tree to prevent it from rolling down a hill. The weather was VMC and no flight plan was filed. The pilot said the manifold pressure decayed FROM22 inches to 18 inches and rotor RPM began to bleed off. The pilot tried to regain manifold pressure by reducing collective but was unsuccessful. Density altitude was 8,800 feet. No discrepancies, other than impact related, were found during an inspection of the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8045F
- Reported as
- Hughes TH-55A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 46-0518
- Airframe hours
- 4,394
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Los Hermanos De La Frontera
- Registered owner
- Los Hermanos De La Frontera
- Departed
- Pecos, TX
- Destination
- Pecos, TX
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,985 total · 280 in this make and model · 5,560 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Temperature
- 162 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.