Hughes 269A accident near Wetumpka, Alabama, August 2, 1982
On August 2, 1982 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N8801F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wetumpka, Alabama. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1982 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wetumpka, Alabama
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N8801F · no longer on the register · serial 112-0135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AT THE END OF A SPRAY RUN, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. HE STATED THAT THE ENGINE RPM DROPPED TO ZERO, THE AIRSPEED WAS ZERO, AND HE ESTABLISHED AN AUTOROTATION. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN ON ROUGH HILLY TERRAIN, BOUNCED AND ROLLED OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE. LATER, WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED, A CRACK WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SERVO UNIT ADJACENT TO THE MIXTURE ADJUSTMENT. REPORTEDLY, THIS CRACK WOULD HAVE ADMITTED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF AIR INTO THE SERVO UNIT AND WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 225 hours in all; 47 in the last 90 days; 167 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,373 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wetumpka AL at 7:00 am
- Destination: Wetumpka AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.