Hughes 269A accident near Emmett, ID
On April 10, 1998, a Hughes 269A (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Emmett, ID. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 10, 1998
- Place
- Emmett, ID
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.980°N, 116.520°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09959
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 10, 1998, approximately 1630 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 269A helicopter, N5161E, registered to and operated by a student pilot, accompanied by a flight instructor, was destroyed when it crashed approximately five miles southeast of Emmett, Idaho. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries and the flight instructor was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was instructional, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and departed from the Nampa airport, Nampa, Idaho, sometime after 1600. The instructor pilot (IP) reported that he and the student pilot (SP) departed towards Emmett airport with the intention of "practicing off airport landings in the foothills south of the Emmett valley." Approaching a "finger" of a plateau with cliffs on three of its sides the IP proceeded to "demonstrate the procedures to complete an off airport landing." He reported that "there was absolutely no sign of any definitive wind direction on the ground" and subsequently chose a terrain approach route from the south. The IP further reported that "approximately 60 feet AGL (above ground) I noticed 2 things. One was that we were developing a(n) excessive sink rate which I believe was due to a downdraft and two, that there was a wind coming from the west or our left. I immediately turned the helicopter into the wind and applied collective and throttle. While doing so the throttle reached it(s) stop. Ron said "RPM" and I saw that the RPM was decaying, so I immediately lowered the collective as I
Probable cause
The instructor pilot's failure to maintain the proper rate of descent on landing. Factors were a sudden wind shift, the instructor pilot's lack of recent experience, and terrain drop-off.
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Browse: Idaho · Hughes aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
