- Date
- June 26, 1992, 11:04 local (16:04 UTC)
- Place
- Labelle, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9089FHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920626022039A
- Case key
- 32990
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 pilot-in-command's improper application of collective pitch during an autorotative landing resulting in insufficient rotor RPM and in-flight collision with trees and the terrain. Contributing to the accident was the total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination and inadequate preflight planning/preparation.
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 private pilot departed on a VFR flight in VFR conditions. A witness observed the helicopter at about 600 feet AGL descending in an autorotation with a high rate of descent, forward airspeed, with the nose pitched up about 45 degrees before the helicopter disappeared below the tree line. Examination of the crash site revealed the helicopter collided with trees in a descending left turn prior to impacting the ground in about a 45-degree nose down attitude, nosed over and came to rest on its right side. The pilot was fatally injured. Contributing to the accident was the total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. The deceased pilot's son stated the father would allow the helicopter to sit at the house without a full tank of fuel, and that his father would not drain the fuel sump as a part of his preflight inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9089F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1010346S
- Airframe hours
- 7,202
- Engine
- Allison 250-C18C, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rotorcraft Charter, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rotorcraft Charter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 31, 1991 · 176 hours before
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,800 total · 625 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 200° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY, 21 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 N9089F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.