- Date
- July 22, 1995, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Honesdale, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N9483FHughes 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950722024659A
- Case key
- 39011
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
Corrosion and subsequent failure of the attaching lugs for the left (4H) shock strut assembly, which resulted in collapse of the landing gear/skid.
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 stated that after takeoff from the heliport, 'He felt a low frequency vibration.' He elected to return to the heliport to determine the cause of the vibration. After the pilot landed, he had the collective positioned to full down when the helicopter began a violent forward and aft gyration. The main rotors struck the ground. Examination of the landing skids revealed that the left (4H) shock strut assembly had separated from the landing skid due to severe exfoiliation corrosion at both attaching lugs. All three remaining struts were attached.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1995, about 1730 eastern daylight time, a Hughes 269B, helicopter, N9483F, was destroyed after the landing gear skid collapsed while standing with the engine operating, at a private heliport (P48), near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The local, personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated that after take off from the heliport he, "felt a low frequency vibration." He thought this was associated with the main rotor, so he elected to return to the heliport to determine the cause of the vibration. He landed on the helipad and tried to make radio contact with his instructor to advise him of the problem.
According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2:
...the machine was completely on the ground with the pitch stick in the full down position. Rotor and engine RPM's were at operating range. I reached my cyclic hand to adjust the radio, and no sooner returned it [to the cyclic] to pull [the] trigger and talk...the helicopter began a violent forward and aft gyration and pounding...it proceeded to self destruct around me....
The examination of the landing skids, revealed that the left (4H) shock strut assembly had separated from the landing skid.
According to the FAA Inspector's statement:
...severe exfoliation corrosion was noticed at both attaching lugs. The lugs had failed due to corrosion. All three (3) remaining shock struts were attached.
At the time of the accident, the pilot had 224 total flight hours, 80 hours as a student pilot, rotorcraft, and 10 flight hours in this make and model helicopter.
The reported winds, at the time of the accident, were calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9483F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1260289
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ernest F. Kittner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- P48
- Airport
- P-48 · Evergreen Heliport, runway 36, 30 × 30 ft, grass/turf
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 242 total · 10 in this make and model · 125 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 84 °F
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 N9483F · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.