- Date
- October 8, 1988, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Branson, MO
- Injuries
- 4 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N506WWHughes 500C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881008047559A
- Case key
- 34663
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 flight was conducted for sightseeing with 5 passengers onboard. The pilot turned on final approach with 35 knots of airspeed and encountered a high rate of descent. The pilot reported that he noted a split tach and initiated an autorotation, but was outside the envelope for a safe recovery. The skids collapsed in the resulting hard landing, and the helicopter rolled over. Metal flecks were found in the freewheeling sprag assembly, which held very little oil, but no evidence of slippage was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N506WW
- Reported as
- Hughes 500C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 150699S
- Airframe hours
- 3,745
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 278 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Tablerock Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- A And S Associates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 1988 · 1 hours before
- Airport
- MO38 · Table Rock Heliport
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,064 total · 450 in this make and model · 1,591 as pilot in command · 270 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SGF, 46 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.