- Date
- July 24, 1989, 14:15 local (Jul 25, 1989, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kalapana, HI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N58344Hughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890724025129A
- Case key
- 26451
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
The loss of engine power due to the failure of the engine exhaust valve in the no. 2 cylinder and the disregard of the Lycoming service bulletin by company maintenance personnel. Contributing to the accident was the high vegetation and trees located at the forced landing site.
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 executed an autorotation into high vegetation and trees following an engine failure. Post accident exam of the engine revealed the no. 2 cylinder exhaust valve failed. Examination of the engine logbook revealed Lycoming service bulletin 388A had not been accomplished.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58344
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1090836
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Io Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ITO · Hilo, HI
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,059 total · 248 in this make and model · 2,442 as pilot in command · 188 in the last 90 days · 78 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.