- Date
- October 26, 2003, 12:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hillsboro, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7452FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20031026026899A
- Case key
- 58238
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 pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for a practice auto rotation landing. A contributing factor was the soft terrain.
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 instructor initiated a demonstration of a low altitude auto-rotation while moving forward in a hover at a "brisk walk." The planned touchdown site was to a grassy area slightly east of the runway environment and upon touchdown, the helicopter's skids encountered soft terrain and dug in and the helicopter rocked forward up onto the toes of the skids. Immediately thereafter, the main rotor blades contacted the ground and the helicopter came to rest on the forward skid toes and the main rotor mast. The instructor reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the helicopter at the time of the event and the terrain at the selected site for the auto rotation was soft.
Factual narrative
On October 26, 2003, approximately 1215 Pacific standard time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N7452F, registered to and being operated/flown by a commercially rated flight instructor, sustained substantial damage during a nose down event following a low altitude auto-rotation landing at the Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, Hillsboro (7S3), Oregon. Both the flight instructor and the pilot under instruction were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was instructional, was operated under 14CFR91, and originated from the Hillsboro airport (HIO), Hillsboro, Oregon, at 1145 on the morning of the accident.
The instructor reported to an inspector assigned to the Hillsboro Federal Aviation Administration's Flight Standards District Office that he was in control of the helicopter, which was moving forward in a hover at a "brisk walk." He initiated a demonstration of an auto-rotation while in the forward hover to a grassy area slightly east of the runway environment and upon touchdown, the helicopter's skids encountered soft terrain and dug in and the helicopter rocked forward up onto the toes of the skids. Immediately thereafter, the main rotor blades contacted the ground and the helicopter came to rest on the forward skid toes and the main rotor mast. The instructor reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the helicopter at the time of the event and the terrain at the selected site for the auto-rotation was soft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7452F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 760522
- Airframe hours
- 2,481
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Saviage, Stanley L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 13, 2003 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- HIO · Hillsboro, OR
- Airport
- 7S3 · Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,753 total · 1,483 in this make and model · 1,984 as pilot in command · 97 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,543 total · 24 in this make and model · 2,452 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.40 inHg
- Observed at
- HIO, 7 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.
Other investigations on N7452F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.