Hughes 269B accident near Council, North Carolina, February 4, 1986
On February 4, 1986 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9374F, was destroyed in an accident near Council, North Carolina. It was an other work-use flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1986 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Council, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9374F · registry record · serial 54-0086
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A CONTROL BURNING OPERATION, THE PLT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE ENG FAILURE. THE PLT ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE ENG EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THE #4 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED. THE FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE RESULTED FROM FATIGUE CRACKING NEAR THE CRANKSHAFT AND INSERT CONNECTION.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,076 hours in all; 821 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,903 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 1986; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N9374F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ATL86LA069.