Hughes 269A accident near Gastonia, North Carolina, June 30, 1983
On June 30, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N8835F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gastonia, North Carolina. It was a personal 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
- June 30, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gastonia, North Carolina · 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
- N8835F · registry record · serial 0198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE AT 500 FT AGL, THE ENG SUDDENLY LOST POWER & WENT TO IDLE RPM. DURING AN AUTOROTATION TO THE SIDE OF A HIGHWAY, THE ACFT WAS MANEUVERED OVER A POWER LINE, THEN UNDER ANOTHER LINE. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER SLID INTO SOME BUSHES & A SMALL TREE. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO SUITABLE PLACE TO LAND EXCEPT ALONG THE HIGHWAY. THE THREADS IN THE END OF THE THROTTLE CONTROL CABLE ASSEMBLY WERE STRIPPED. THIS ALLOWED THE ENG TO GO TO IDLE RPM. THE CABLE, PN 267A-4683-3, HAD ACCUMULATED 770 HRS SINCE INSTALLATION.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 844 hours in all; 844 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 795 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,376 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 1982; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0A6 Gastonia NC at 4:40 pm
- Destination: Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from HKY, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.