Hughes 269A accident near Saluda, South Carolina, August 19, 1989
On August 19, 1989 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N8773F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Saluda, South Carolina (Etheridge airport). 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
STUDENT PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS DURING LIFT-OFF AND INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1989 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Saluda, South Carolina · Etheridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A 269-A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N8773F · registry record · serial 620097
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF TO A HOVER THE HELICOPTER ROLLED RIGHT. LEFT CYCLIC WAS APPLIED BY THE INSTRUCTOR WHO REALIZED THAT THE PILOT UNDER INSTRUCTION WAS ALSO APPLYING LEFT CYCLIC. AS THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED TO ROLL RIGHT THE INSTRUCTOR LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE. HOWEVER THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED ROLLING UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD SEPARATED. THE INSTRUCTOR SAID THE FLIGHT CONTROLS HAD FEEL AND THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL VIBRATIONS. THE FRACTURED MAIN ROTOR MAST HAD EXCESSIVE POROSITY BUT FAILED IN OVERLOAD. A GOUGE WAS FOUND IN THE GROUND INDICATING THAT THE RIGHT SKID REAR TIP DRAGGED DURING THE LIFT-OFF AND PRECIPITATED THE DYNAMIC ROLL OVER.
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; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,934 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 3,754 as pilot in command; 824 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,159 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1989; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from CAE, 30 miles away
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 N8773F 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.