- Date
- November 15, 1989, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- North Adams, MA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9208FHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891115045369A
- Case key
- 36514
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
Failure of the pilot-in-command (PIC) to assure proper rotor RPM and proper operation of the flight controls during an approach in gusty wind conditions. A factor related to the accident was: the pic's lack of experience in the type of operation.
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 plts were making apchs to the arpt, when the helicopter's main rotor blades hit the tail boom & the tail rotor sepd. The helicopter then went out of control & impacted on sloping terrain near the apch end of rwy 11. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft or eng was found during the investigation. The plt-in-command (PIC) had a commercial certificate with airplane single/multi-eng land & instrument ratings, but he held only a private certificate for rotorcraft/helicopters. On the acdnt flt, he occupied the rgt plt seat, while the other plt was in the left seat. This helicopter is normally flown from the left seat. The left seat occupant had an ATP certificate for multi-eng land airplanes & was getting ready for a check flt to obtain a private rotorcraft rating. Manufacturing psnl at Mcdonnell Douglas rprtd that the main rotor blades would not strike the tail boom, if the rotor RPM was above 90%. Aprx 28 west at albany, the 1550 EST wind was from 160 deg at 16 gusting 23 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9208F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 8406285
- Airframe hours
- 1,344
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- King Services Inc.
- Registered owner
- King Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- OWD · Norwood, MA
- Destination
- Troy, NY
- Airport
- 2B6 · Harriman-And-West, runway 11, 4,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 46
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 741 total · 607 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALB, 28 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.