- Date
- September 21, 1989, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, MS
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9318FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890921035869A
- Case key
- 32506
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
Fatigue failure of the linear actuator lug. A related factor was: trees in the emergency landing area.
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
During flt, the helicopter plt noted that the main rotor RPM began decreasing & the eng RPM began increasing. He initiated an autorotation, but the helicopter landed in trees & was damaged. An exam revealed a bolt lug on the end of the linear actuator (that engaged the belt drive) had failed from fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9318F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 34-0050
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Provine,Bob Jr
- Registered owner
- Provine Bob Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- 19M · Lexington, MS
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GWO, 26 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 N9318F · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.