- Date
- August 7, 1982, 14:03 local (21:03 UTC)
- Place
- Shelton, WA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N10966Hughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 7, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820807053009A
- Case key
- 72609
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
During a sight seeing flight the pilot smelled a burning odor and prepared to make a precautionary off-airport landing. Shortly thereafter, engine RPM decayed and an autorotative landing was effected on a dirt road. On touchdown, the main rotor blades flexed downward, striking the tail boom and separating it from the fuselage. The investigation revealed theturbine-to-compressor coupling was bound to the power turbine shaft which sleeves it. There was evidence of thermal and mechanical distress to the components, caused by over-heating and coking of the oil.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10966
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1000818D
- Airframe hours
- 1,259
- Engine
- Allison 25O-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Olympic Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Olympic Air, Inc.
- Departed
- SHN · Shelton, WA
- Destination
- SHN · Shelton, WA
- Airport
- SHN · Sanderson Field
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
- 28
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,665 total · 107 in this make and model · 1,458 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days · 62 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 194 °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 N10966 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.