Hughes 269 N11047

Summary

On 14 March 2018 at about 16:20 local time, a Hughes 269 registered N11047, operated by John Deer Trustee, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 March 2018 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Stinson Muni (SSF)

Coordinates

29.3369, -98.4711

Aircraft

Hughes 269

Registration

N11047

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

John Deer Trustee

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Antonio → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA168

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s decision to relinquish the helicopter flight controls to a non-rated passenger during a 3 ft hover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot reported that he allowed his non-rated passenger to "try his hovering skills" at 3 ft above ground level. The pilot told the passenger, "you have the aircraft," and the pilot removed his hands from the flight controls. The passenger pushed the cyclic to its forward limit, and the helicopter impacted the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor and tail rotor drive systems, and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.