- Date
- November 29, 1989, 11:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Stayton, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N446TNHughes 369D
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891129047789A
- Case key
- 41153
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 maintenance personnel failed to record the previous flight time for the overrunning clutch on airworthiness certification documents when the assembly was overhauled. Also, causal to the accident was the operation of the aircraft by the operator for 175 hours after mandatory retirement time for the sprague assembly.
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
While hovering to pick up an external load, the pilot experienced loss of rotor RPM and executed a hovering autorotation. The acft impacted the ground and was substantially damaged. Examination of the overrunning clutch revealed fatigue failure of the overrunning clutch assy. When the clutch was overhauled, the previous time was listed as unknown. It was installed on the accident acft and operated 175 hours past mandatory replacement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N446TN
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1211037D
- Airframe hours
- 3,688
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Associated Helicopter Svcs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 26, 1989 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Stayton, OR
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,780 total · 1,720 in this make and model · 10,750 as pilot in command · 130 in the last 90 days · 112 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLE, 13 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.