Hughes 269A accident near Birmingham, Alabama, November 7, 2003
On November 7, 2003 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N1015T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Birmingham, Alabama (Birmingham International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The certified flight instructor's inadequate aircraft control and his improper landing flare resulting in a hard landing and roll over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 2003 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Birmingham, Alabama · Birmingham International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N1015T · registry record · serial 66-0584
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was making an approach for landing. The certified flight instructor noticed the ground was getting closer and the manifold pressure indicated 25 inches. The flight instructor took over the flight controls and increased the throttle, but there appeared to be no response. The flight instructor stated he leveled the helicopter and collided with the ground in a level attitude and the helicopter rolled over on it's left side. Examination of the crash site revealed the helicopter collided with the ground left skid low at a 45-degree angle to the flight path. The left skid collapsed, the cross tube support brackets were broken, and the right skid was intact.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,325 hours in all; 596 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,259 as pilot in command; 377 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 12, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 605 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,994 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 29, 2003; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 11:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from BHM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04LA034.