- Date
- August 18, 1991, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- No. Little Rock, AR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N65372Hughes 269A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910818035679A
- Case key
- 23388
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 pilot's failure to maintain main rotor RPM, his delayed flare, and the improper touchdown.
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 commercial helicopter pilot was demonstrating an autorotation to touchdown to his passenger. Upon touchdown, the main rotor blades flexed downward which resulted in the tailboom being penetrated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65372
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 15-0022
- Airframe hours
- 2,153
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- North Little Rock Aviation
- Registered owner
- Aerial Patrol, Inc.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 24, 1991 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- 1M1 · No. Little Rock, AR
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- M19 · North Little Rock, runway 35, 3,000 × 15 ft, asphalt
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,815 total · 6,000 in this make and model · 7,605 as pilot in command · 259 in the last 90 days · 102 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.