Hughes 269A N403SD
17 September 1990 · Kingsville, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 September 1990 at about 13:59 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N403SD, operated by Short, J. C., was involved in an accident near Kingsville, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:59
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Kingsville, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A
- Registration
- N403SD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Short, J. C.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Kingsville → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW90FA183
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LEFT FLANGE ON THE TAIL BOOM SADDLE FITTING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS ON A CATTLE HERDING FLIGHT AND WAS FLYING AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FT AGL, WHEN THE HELICOPTER'S TAIL BOOM ASSEMBLY SEPARATED. THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT, THEN IT NOSED OVER AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE LEFT FLANGE ON THE TAIL BOOM SADDLE FITTING (PN: 269A2324) HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE, WHICH RESULTED IN SEPARATION OF THE TAIL BOOM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 May 1990 | Hughes 269C | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Flight Safety International | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 May 1990 | Hughes 269A | La Verne, California, United States | Randy Polous | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 May 1990 | Hughes 269C | Rialto, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1990 | Hughes 269A | Bremerton, Washington, United States | Eric P. Bass | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1990 | Hughes 269B | Paso Robles, California, United States | Dolezal, Todd R. | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1990 | Hughes 269C | Carlsbad, California, United States | Flight Trails Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,213 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1990 | Bell 206B | Pearland, Texas, United States | Houston Helicopter, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172G | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1990 | Beechcraft 100 | Uvalde, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1990 | Hughes H500C | Houston, Texas, United States | Mark R. Lancaster | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 1990 | Hughes 369HS | Junction, Texas, United States | Neveri, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 1990 | Cessna 152 | Albany, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |