- Date
- July 8, 1988, 20:45 local (Jul 9, 1988, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N750AMHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880708025859A
- Case key
- 25844
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
Flight with undertorqued rotor dampers.
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.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Rotor system,main rotor hub lead-lag stop/damper - undertorquedCause
Aircraft control - not possible
Fuselage - vibration
Maintenance,100-hour inspection - improperCause
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Fuselage - fractured
Misc rotorcraft,tail boom - fractured
Aircraft
- Registration
- N750AM
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 840346
- Airframe hours
- 3,532
- Engine
- Lycoming HI0-360, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Heli La Inc.
- Registered owner
- Osb Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 7, 1988 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys
N750AMRegistration cancelled Jun 13, 2013 · Hughes 269CAirframe modelHughes 269CEngine modelLycoming I0360 series
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 400 in this make and model · 158 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.