- Date
- August 5, 1989, 11:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Hollywood, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N81AMHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890805033969A
- Case key
- 32498
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 severe fuselage vibration (ground resonance) and the pilot's improper planning/decision to avoid or compensate for the occurrence. A factor related to the accident was the low shock 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 instructor pilot was demonstrating cockpit and runup procedures to the student, when the helicopter became light on the skids with operating RPM & ground resonance developed. The instructor bottomed the pitch & shut off the engine, but the ground resonance became worse. Subsequently, the tail boom was chopped off by the main rotor blades, a fuel cell ruptured & a fire erupted. According to an FAA handbook (ac 61-13B), the correct procedure for getting out of ground resonance was to lift off. An exam revealed the left front shock strut was low.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81AM
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 700941
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Crescent Airways
- Registered owner
- Idaho First Nat'L Bank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 4, 1989 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- HWO
- Destination
- HWO
- Airport
- HWO · North Perry
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 750 total · 350 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HWO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.