- Date
- October 5, 1988, 09:10 local (13:10 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8602FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881005069779A
- Case key
- 32264
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
The plt stated that while doing a stuck left pedal maneuver, the helicopter was flown with a 5 degree yaw to the left. As the airspeed zeroed, the collective was brought in to bring the nose around and light contact was made with the ground. He then stated that ground resonance started and progressed so rapidly that the helicopter destroyed itself almost immediatly. Post accident examination of the three blade friction dampers revealed evidence that suggests that the majority of the bronze plates inside the dampers were worn beyond acceptable limits. The pilot reported that he had stopped three times during the flight to re-phase the main rotor system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8602F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1090843
- Airframe hours
- 1,479
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Safety Int'L, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Flight Safety Int'L Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 4, 1988 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- VRB · Vero Beach, runway 29R, 2,650 × 5 ft, asphalt
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
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,787 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,671 as pilot in command · 228 in the last 90 days · 94 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB
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 N8602F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.