- Date
- February 28, 1983, 10:13 local (17:13 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N42426Hughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830228005589A
- Case key
- 23430
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 purpose of flt was to take aerial photogrphs of a business agency near the crash site. The helicopter was observed orbiting a parking lot in a right hand pattern at 150-300 ft AGL. After 2-3 orbits it appeared to hover before pitching nose down to a near inverted position, followed by a steep descent until impact with the ground. Folowing the pitch over, pieces of the tail and/or m/r blades separated. There was leading edge m/r damage & paint transfer consistent with tail boom strike prior to ground impact. The main rotor & hub ass'y was located about 30 ft from the main wreckage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42426
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1050388
- Airframe hours
- 4,636
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Helicopter Associates Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 11, 1983 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- P16 · Mesa, AZ
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 10 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.