- Date
- October 27, 1988, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dickens, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7463FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881027048319A
- Case key
- 22810
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 pilot was inspecting a herd of cattle when he thought the helicopter was developing a problem with the engine and main rotor. He started an autorotation, lost tail rotor control, and went into a left spin which continued to contact with the ground. Investigation indicated an in-flight loss of the tail rotor due to a shift of the tail boom after failure of the left boom support tube fitting.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7463F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 860534
- Airframe hours
- 2,736
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-DIA, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Drennen, Billy Steve
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 1988 · 55 hours before
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,373 total · 2,373 in this make and model · 2,302 as pilot in command · 155 in the last 90 days · 91 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 235° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °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.