- Date
- February 10, 1990, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Encinal, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N58204Hughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900210001899A
- Case key
- 23102
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 loss of directional control due to the failure of the tail rotor cable.
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
During a cattle herding operation over rough terrain, the aircraft expereinced a loss of anti-torque/directional control due to a failed tail rotor cable. The pilot followed the published emergency procedures; however, the aircraft struck a tree during an autorotative descent, then rolled left and struck the ground on its left side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58204
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1280743
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Smith Helicopter, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE · Fred Ash Ranch
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,291 total · 3,209 in this make and model · 3,211 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 18 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LRD, 39 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.