- Date
- December 7, 1992, 12:52 local (22:52 UTC)
- Place
- Kahului, HI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9566FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921207049399A
- Case key
- 27882
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate rotor RPM during downwind flight and adequate altitude to recover the loss of main rotor RPM before settling into the water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of rotorcraft flight experience.
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
A Hughes 269B ditched in the ocean after an inflight loss of control. The helicopter was in cruise flight about 100 feet above the water. The pilot descended to about 20 feet above the water and decelerated to about 20 miles per hour. The helicopter began to vibrate and the main rotor RPM began to drop. The pilot turned right and increased the throttle. The pilot noticed the manifold pressure increased commensurate with the throttle application; however, the rotor RPM continued to drop. The pilot lowered the collective to regain main rotor RPM but due to the low altitude the helicopter descended into the water. The pilot reported that a tail wind existed when the helicopter experienced the loss of main rotor RPM. The winds at the local airport located 1.5 miles from the accident site were reported to be from 110 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 29 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot had accrued 75 hours in helicopters of which 40 hours were in the accident helicopter make and model and 30 hours were as pilot in command.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9566F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 210458
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Maui Wing And Rotor
- Registered owner
- Maui Wing And Rotor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
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
- 23
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 40 in this make and model · 1,550 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 12 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OGG, 2 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.
Other investigations on N9566F · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.