Hughes 269A N8045H

Summary

On 1 June 2024 at about 16:48 local time, a Hughes 269A registered N8045H was involved in an accident near Danbury, New Hampshire, 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

1 June 2024 at 16:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Danbury, New Hampshire, United States

Coordinates

43.5317, -71.9252

Aircraft

Hughes 269A

Registration

N8045H

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laconia → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA242

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for the prevailing wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of control during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was working on adding a helicopter rating to his existing private pilot certificate and was on a solo flight to practice some landing approaches at a nearby airport. After completing the practice approaches and refueling the helicopter, the pilot flew back to his property. The pilot reported that when he entered a hover to land, the helicopter started to turn to the right “very fast.” The pilot applied full force to the left anti-torque pedal, but the helicopter continued to turn to the right. The helicopter then impacted trees and terrain. A postimpact fire consumed most of the helicopter. The weather reported at an airport about 17 nautical miles from the accident site included wind at 7 knots, with gusts to 22 knots. The pilot’s solo endorsement limited him to flights in wind conditions less than 13 knots. Following the accident, the pilot reported that he did not believe that there had been a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the helicopter and that a wind gust had “caught” him, which resulted in the loss of control. The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector at the accident site. While the examination was limited given the extent of the fire damage, the inspector did not observe any anomalies with the helicopter’s anti-torque system that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.