- Date
- December 4, 1996, 16:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Mayfield, KY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1105PHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961204037109A
- Case key
- 28164
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
disengagement of the main transmission aft pinion nut, allowing the tail rotor splined drive sleeve to disengage from the pinion, which resulted in loss of directional control and an emergency (autorotative) landing.
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 stated that the purpose of the flight was to ferry the helicopter. The helicopter had been cruising at 1,200 feet MSL for over an hour, when the nose started to yaw to the right. Unable to control the yaw, the pilot entered an autorotation at about 70 mph to a field. During the forced landing, the helicopter collided with a fence. Examination of the helicopter revealed that the aft pinion nut of the main transmission had disengaged, which allowed the tail rotor splined drive sleeve to disengage from the pinion and tail rotor drive shaft. Investigation did not determined why the aft pinion backed off. The last annual inspection was completed on 6/7/96. The helicopter had accumulated 66 hours of flight time, since the annual inspection.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 1996, at 1635 eastern standard time, a Hughes 269C, N1105P, was substantially damaged when it collided with a fence during a forced landing near Mayfield, Kentucky. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The ferry flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated in Henning, Tennessee, at 1530. The intended destination was Indianapolis, Indiana.
The pilot reported that he was ferrying the helicopter to the new owner. He said that the had been cruising at 1,200 feet MSL for about an hour, when the nose of the helicopter began to yaw to the right, followed by a change in aircraft noise. He attempted to correct the yaw by applying full left pedal, but was unsuccessful. He entered autorotation at about 70 mph, and attempted a forced landing to the middle of a field. During touchdown, the helicopter collided with a fence.
The helicopter was examined after the accident by an FAA Inspector. The examination revealed that the aft pinion nut of the main transmission disengaged during flight, which disengaged the tail rotor splined drive sleeve from the pinion, and the tail rotor drive shaft. It was not determined why the aft pinion nut backed off causing the drive spline to disengage. The last annual inspection was completed on June 7, 1996, and the helicopter had accumulated 66 hours since the annual inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1105P
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 211028
- Airframe hours
- 8,640
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dr. Charles Hassel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 7, 1996 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- Henning, TN
- Destination
- I21 · Indianapolis, IN
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 966 total · 119 in this make and model · 877 as pilot in command · 168 in the last 90 days · 61 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.