- Date
- February 16, 1996, 20:00 local (Feb 17, 1996, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Dallas, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8897FHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960217002099A
- Case key
- 19765
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
Failure of the unqualified helicopter pilot to maintain control of the helicopter. Factors relating to the accident were: his lack of total experience in helicopters and his improper decision to attempt to hover without appropriate training/endorsement for flight in the helicopter.
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 owner of a newly purchased helicopter was a student pilot. He decided to make a maintenance run-up and to perform an operational check of the newly installed radios. The student stated that his intentions were to bring the helicopter into a hover, but remain in the same location. After lift-off, the student lost control of the helicopter. Subsequently, it touched down hard, rolled over, and came to rest on its side. According to his logbook, the student pilot/owner of the helicopter had accumulated a total of 88.6 hours in single engine airplanes, of which 0.6 hours were solo. He stated that he had accumulated 2.5 hours in the accident helicopter before the accident.
Factual narrative
On February 16, 1996, at 2000 central standard time, a Hughes 269A helicopter, N8897F, sustained substantial damage following a loss of control while hovering near Dallas, Texas. The student pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the maintenance flight.
According to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at the Addison Airport, they were contacted by the student pilot who advised them that "he was going to perform a maintenance run up, but remain in the same location." According to witnesses, the pilot lost control as the helicopter as it came to a hover. The helicopter landed hard, rolled over and came to rest on its side.
According to the pilot a new radio and transponder were installed in his newly purchased helicopter. The pilot stated that his intentions were to perform an operational check of the newly installed radios.
The pilot's logbook was found at the accident site. The logbook revealed that the student pilot had accumulated a total of 88.6 flight hours in single engine airplanes, of which 0.6 hours were solo. On the enclosed NTSB form 6120.1/2 the pilot states that he had accumulated 2.5 hours in the accident aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8897F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 830274
- Airframe hours
- 2,925
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald M. Megliola
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ADS
- Destination
- ADS
- Airport
- ADS · Addison
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3 total · 3 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8897F · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.