- Date
- June 21, 1990, 14:05 local (18:05 UTC)
- Place
- Pittstown, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N110ESHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900621021489A
- Case key
- 36666
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
Ground resonance due to inadequate servicing and maintenance of the landing gear dampers.
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 pilot had just landed after a solo helicopter transition flight. After touchdown she lowered the collective and rolled off the throttle. The helicopter entered ground resonance and was destroyed. Post-crash examination showed one of the landing gear dampers had dried hydraulic fluid residue on the boot and piston, and had collapsed. Two other landing gear dampers were able to be compressed by hand. According to Schweizer acft co., properly serviced and maintained landing gear dampers will not collapse during ground resonance.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N110ES
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 58-0860
- Airframe hours
- 4,687
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- B C Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Francis Kalanty
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 27, 1990 · 92 hours before
- Departed
- N40 · Pittstown, NJ
- Airport
- N40 · Sky Manor
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
- 21
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 430 total · 10 in this make and model · 365 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 7 knots
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.