- Date
- June 19, 1988, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Horn Lake, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1109PHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880619040699A
- Case key
- 32194
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
Bfr tkof, the helicopter was svcd with 100LL fuel (an approved altn fuel if the boost pump is used in flt). Drg flt, theeng lost pwr. An autorotation was made in tall vegetation, but drg the lndg, the main rotor blades severed the tail boom. An inspn of the fuel sys revealed no evidence of contamination. The pneumatic sys was pressure-tested & no leaks were fnd. Post-acdnt atmts to start the eng were unsuccessful until the fuel sys was purged of air. It then started & operated normally for about 5 min, but the fuel pump was found to be unserviceable with worn seals & bearings. A bench check showed the fuel pump had a flow rate of 700 pph at 600 PSI, the pump should have had a min flow rate of 1269 pph. Also, the power turbine governor was fnd to be slightly out of adjustment & a fuel nozzle had excessive streaks & voids in its spray pattern. Personnel at the manufacturer believed the eng may have lost pwr due to a combination of a worn fuel pump & the use of 100LL fuel on a 94 deg day or from vapor lock.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1109P
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1100849D
- Airframe hours
- 2,890
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Denver Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Whirleybirds Leasing Co. Viii
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 22, 1988 · 200 hours before
- Departed
- M41 · Holly Springs, MS
- Destination
- JBR · Jonesboro, AR
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 7 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.