- Date
- September 17, 1990, 08:59 local (13:59 UTC)
- Place
- Kingsville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N403SDHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900917039529A
- Case key
- 23044
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 fatigue failure of the left flange on the tail boom saddle fitting.
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 on a cattle herding flight and was flying at an altitude of about 100 ft AGL, when the helicopter's tail boom assembly separated. The helicopter began to spin to the right, then it nosed over and collided with the terrain. An examination revealed that the left flange on the tail boom saddle fitting (pn: 269A2324) had failed from fatigue, which resulted in separation of the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N403SD
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0676A
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C2D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Short, J. C., doing business as Western Helicopters
- Departed
- NONE · Kingsville, 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Observed at
- CRP, 38 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.