Hughes 369 N298SD

Summary

On 8 April 2016 at about 14:30 local time, a Hughes 369 registered N298SD was involved in an accident near Weatherford, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 April 2016 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Weatherford, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Staggs (TE93)

Coordinates

32.7714, -97.7394

Aircraft

Hughes 369

Registration

N298SD

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Weatherford → Weatherford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16LA182

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot/mechanic's inadequate postmaintenance and preflight inspections, which resulted in his failure to remove the antitorque pedal lock and a subsequent loss of control during hover operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/mechanic stated that, while performing maintenance on the helicopter, he locked the left side antitorque (tail rotor) pedals to keep them out of the way; however, he forgot to unlock them after completing the maintenance. The pilot then conducted a post-maintenance hover check, and, upon increasing collective, the helicopter entered a spin, traveled about 40 feet, and collided with a building and trees. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation, and that the accident was the result of his failure to remove the antitorque pedal lock before flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.