- Date
- November 15, 1989, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Estacada, OR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9592FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891115045379A
- Case key
- 41148
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 misjudged clearance between her external load and the obstruction. Factors related to the accident were: the obstruction, improper maintenance and modification of the external load line/hook by the operator, failure of the pilot to jettison the external load, and a failure of the operator management to assure the pilot had received adequate training/certification.
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 helicopter was being use in an external load opn to move christmas trees from a field to a drop zone (dz) for loading on a truck. During an apch to the dz, the plt did not maintain sufficient altitude or clearance to keep the load clear of obstructions. Subsequently, she lost control of the helicopter & it traveled 100 to 200 ft backwards. It then hit the ground tail 1st, rolled over & was extensively damaged. Trees were scattered between the object & the main wreckage. An exam revealed the plt had only a manual means of releasing the load at the helicopter. The electrical release sys had been rewired to provide power to the bottom hook only. One of the ground psnl rprtd the hook had been malfunctioning. The plt had 5 hrs of dual time & 8 hrs of plt-in-command time in external load opns; however, she did not possess the required letter of competency for this opn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9592F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 440296
- Airframe hours
- 3,180
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Helicopter Enterprises
- Registered owner
- John Inman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 1, 1989 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 332 total · 162 in this make and model · 194 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °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 N9592F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.