Hughes 269C accident near Howe, TX
On August 10, 2016, a Hughes 269C (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Howe, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 10, 2016
- Place
- Howe, TX
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.568°N, 96.578°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160810X82409
Official records · CEN16FA315
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 9, 2016, at 2035 central daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N9277R, impacted terrain following an autorotation near Howe, Texas. The flight instructor was fatally injured, the student pilot sustained serious injuries, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was privately owned and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local instructional flight departed the Sherman Municipal Airport (SWI), Sherman, Texas, at an unknown time. The student pilot reported to a law enforcement officer who responded to the accident that he and the flight instructor were flying about 1,100 ft above ground level (agl) when the instructor initiated a practice autorotation which included reducing the throttle to idle to simulate an engine failure. When the engine power was reduced, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The flight instructor attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. The student stated that the autorotation was initially controlled, but then the helicopter impacted terrain in a high-speed descent. During the impact, the tail boom partially separated, and the helicopter rolled over, coming to rest on its right side. In a written statement, the student reported that he and the instructor had completed some landings and other operations at SWI, and were returning to his residence at an altitude about 1,200 ft agl. While en route, the instructor "slowly rolled down the throt
Probable cause
The improper execution of an autorotation following the loss of engine power, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's lack of remedial action during the autorotation.
More accidents in TX
- Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
- Robertson C-414, Jul 29, 1982
- Textron Aviation B-300, Jun 30, 2019
- Beech B100, Nov 26, 1983
- Consolidated-Vultee PBY-6A, Oct 13, 1984
Browse: Texas · 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.
