Hughes 269C accident near Bowling Green, Kentucky, December 14, 1986
On December 14, 1986 at about 4:48 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N7416F, was destroyed in an accident near Bowling Green, Kentucky (Warren County airport). 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
- December 14, 1986 · about 4:48 pm local time
- Place
- Bowling Green, Kentucky · Warren County · map
- 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
- N7416F · no longer on the register · serial 670605
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE HOVERING IN A GRASSY AREA NEAR THE HANGAR FACILITY, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF FLIGHT CONTROL. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE GROUND AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE HELICOPTER COMPONENT EXAMINATION FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE FRACTURE FACE EXAMINATION OF BROKEN FLIGHT CONTROL COMPONENTS DISCLOSED ONLY OVERSTRESS FAILURES.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,740 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7,430 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 983 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 1986; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-560-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 11 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from BWG
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.