- Date
- February 7, 1997, 01:00 local (06:00 UTC)
- Place
- Homosassa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9061RHughes 269A
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970207001429A
- Case key
- 38221
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 unqualified person's poor judgment, by taking the helicopter without the owner's permission and attempting an unauthorized flight at night; and his failure (or inability) to maintain control the helicopter. Darkness was a related factor.
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
A non-rated pilot attempted to fly the helicopter during a dark night without obtaining the owner's permission. While attempting to fly at night with no ground reference lights, he lost control of the helicopter, which crashed a short distance from the helipad.
Factual narrative
On February 7, 1997, about 0100 eastern standard time, a Hughes 269A, N9061R, registered to Crystal River Helicopters, Inc., crashed during an attempt to steal the helicopter from the operators facility at Homosassa, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the unauthorized flight. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the non-rated pilot was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the owner/operator of the helicopter, an unqualified person attempted to steal the helicopter from his helipad located on the company property. The helicopter was first discovered with the tailboom separated and the main structure elevated and in an upright position. There was no postcrash fire. The pilot fled the scene after the accident and was apprehended in the area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9061R
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47-0696
- Airframe hours
- 3,654
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Crystal River Helicopters,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 6, 1995 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- Unknown
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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OCF, 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.