Hughes 269C accident near Marshville, North Carolina, September 18, 1982
On September 18, 1982 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N9575F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marshville, North Carolina. 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).
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
- September 18, 1982 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marshville, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9575F · no longer on the register · serial 440295
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (IP) AND THE STUDENT (A PRIVATE, SINGLE ENGINE LAND, PILOT) WERE ON A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. AFTER COMPLETING SEVERAL HOVER AUTOROTATIONS AND HOVERING PATTERNS, THE IP TOOK CONTROL. HE POSITIONED THE HELICOPTER FOR AN AUTOROTATION FROM 500 FT AGL WITH A POWER RECOVERY. WHEN ENTERING THE AUTOROTATION, THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING CONCERNING WHO WAS TO FLY AND WHO WAS TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE CONTROLS. THE STUDENT THOUGHT HE WAS TO FOLLOW THROUGH, BUT REPORTEDLY, THE IP THOUGHT THE STUDENT HAD ASSUMED CONTROL. AS THE HELICOPTER APPROACHED THE GROUND, THE IP TOOK CONTROL AND FLARED; HOWEVER, DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE GROUND. THE STUDENT STATED THAT PREVIOUSLY, THE MICROPHONE SYSTEM HAD AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH WAS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED. HE BELIEVED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISUNDERSTANDING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,385 hours in all; 1,845 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 7,899 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,439 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Marshville NC at 11:00 am
- Destination: Marshville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 169°F (76°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N9575F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.