- Date
- March 2, 1985, 18:00 local (Mar 3, 1985, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N9664FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 21530
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
The accident occurred during a zero ground speed practice autorotation. A high sink developed after an attempt to correct for decreasing rotor RPM, the helicopter contacted the ground tail first and rolled over after the main rotor severed the tail boom. An experienced helicopter plt who witnesses the accident stated that the autorotations were terminated abruptly with an extremely nose high attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9664F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 210095
- Airframe hours
- 8,111
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- City Of San Antonio
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 19, 1985 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- San Antonio, TX
- Airport
- SSF · Stinson Fld.
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 2,700 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 12 nm away