- Date
- May 23, 1990, 09:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- La Verne, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8793FHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900523022909A
- Case key
- 26812
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
Ground resonance due to an inadequately maintained strut.
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 had been asked by the operator to fly the helicopter prior to the operators signing a leaseback agreement with the reported owner. The initial air taxi to a helipad was aborted when the helicopter began to oscillate during a ground resonance event. Prior to this attempt the oleo struts appeared to be of equal extension. After the event, the oleo struts were low and one was flat. About 18 days later, and after the pilot had been told that the struts had been taken care of and that the owner had been flying the helicopter after a planned air taxi to a helipad. The helicopter again experienced a ground resonance event with severe oscillations to the point of destruction. The pilot said he lowered the collective and decreased the throttle when the oscillations began. Attempts to obtain the maintenance records and components of the helicopter for testing were unsuccessful.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8793F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0125A
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Randy Polous, doing business as Airborne Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Sam Clemens
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- POC · La Verne, CA
- Airport
- POC · Brackett Field
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 323 total · 126 in this make and model · 259 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.