- Date
- September 1, 1996, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Frisco, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9558FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960901025739A
- Case key
- 19969
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
The pilot's improper touchdown procedure.
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
According to the operator, the pilot requested to rent a helicopter. He showed the operator his pilot certificate and flight log book; however, the operator did not record this information nor obtain a current address and telephone number. The pilot was not given a check out in the helicopter prior to the accident flight. The operator observed the pilot hover the helicopter, takeoff and depart the traffic pattern. The operator subsequently received a telephone call from the pilot stating he had landed the helicopter 'hard' at the North Dallas Jetport, which was under construction, and requested to be pick up. When the operator arrived at the North Dallas Jetport, he found the helicopter on its side, and the pilot could not be located. Injury is presumed. There were no reported eye witnesses to this accident. The FAA has no record of the named pilot having either an airman or a medical certificate. .
Factual narrative
On September 1, 1996, about 1730 central daylight time, a Hughes 269B helicopter, N9558F, registered to C and J Communications Inc., and operated by Addison Helicopters as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, was substantially damaged during a hard landing near Frisco, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The pilot was reported as not injured. The local flight originated from Addison Airport, Dallas, Texas, about 30 minutes before the accident.
According to the operator, the pilot requested to rent a helicopter. He showed the operator his pilot certificate and flight log book; however, the operator did not record this information nor obtain a current address and telephone number. The pilot was not given a check out in the helicopter prior to the accident flight; however, the operator observed the pilot hover the helicopter, takeoff and depart the traffic pattern. The operator received a telephone call from the pilot stating he had landed the helicopter "hard" at the North Dallas Jetport, which was under construction, and requested to be pick up. When the operator arrived at the North Dallas Jetport, he found the helicopter on its side, and the pilot could not be located. There were no reported eye witnesses to this accident.
Examination of the helicopter by a FAA inspector on September 5, 1996, at the Wills Point Airport revealed that all main rotor blades were damaged, the skid tubes and their fuselage attaching mounts were fractured, the tail rotor drive shaft was twisted nearly 180 degrees, and the tail rotor was damaged.
The FAA has no record of the named pilot having either an airman or a medical certificate.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9558F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 890441
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Addison Helicopters
- Registered owner
- C And J Communications, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ADS · Dallas, TX
- Airport
- NONE · North Dallas Jetport
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAL, 17 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.