- Date
- September 27, 1987, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Seattle, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8613FHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870927080969A
- Case key
- 40539
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt rprtd that while he was in cruise flight at about 1000', the eng lost power. He initiated an autorotation to an athletic field in a city park. Drg his apch, he changed his planned touchdown point svrl times due to personnel on the field. He said that this resulted in a loss of airspeed, & subsequently, the helicopter landed hard. Drg touchdown, the main rotor blades flexed downward & severed the tail boom. An exam of the eng revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction that would have resulted in a loss of power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8613F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 670127D
- Airframe hours
- 3,129
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Raymond D. Tenney
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 16, 1987 · 64 hours before
- Departed
- SHN · Sheldon, WA
- Destination
- PAE · Everett, WA
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 87 total · 18 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BFI, 8 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 N8613F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.