Hughes 369HS N4265P

Summary

On 8 August 1982 at about 22:45 local time, a Hughes 369HS registered N4265P, operated by F.c. Price, III, was involved in an accident near Wrightsville Bc, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

8 August 1982 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Wrightsville Bc, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.2296, -77.7996

Aircraft

Hughes 369HS

Registration

N4265P

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

F.c. Price, III

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wrightsville Bc → Wrightsville Bc

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL82DA231

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE INITIATED A DOWNWIND TAKEOFF IN A 10 KT WIND AND STARTED A CLIMB OVER WATER. REPORTEDLY, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT AS IT REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 50 FT AGL AND 20 KTS. THE PILOT ALLOWED THE HELICOPTER TO ROTATE UNTIL HE REACHED A LANDFALL, SOME 200 TO 500 FT AWAY. THEN HE MADE AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING INTO A MARSHY AREA. WHILE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER SETTLED ON ITS RIGHT SIDE AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE TAKEOFF APPEARED NORMAL UNTIL THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SPIN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT, TRANSMISSION, MAIN ROTOR, TAIL ROTOR CONTROLS AND TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX FAILED TO REVEAL ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION. ACCORDING TO PERFORMANCE CHARTS, THE HELICOPTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONTROLLABLE FOR EITHER TAKEOFF OR HOVER IN THE PREVAILING CONDITIONS. THE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS REPORTED TO BE 95 DEG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.