Hughes 269B accident near Tampa, Florida, July 7, 1996
On July 7, 1996 at about 3:00 am local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N10TP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa International airport). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel to secure the engine oil screen housing during the 50-hour inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1996 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N10TP · registry record · serial 480688
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Ten minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed a loss of engine oil pressure and a high engine oil temperature. The engine lost power, and the pilot entered an autorotation for a forced landing. The helicopter collided with high tension wires and fell to the ground. The examination of the helicopter disclosed that the engine oil pressure screen housing was loose. The Director of Aircraft Maintenance stated that on 7/05/96 a 50-hour inspection had been completed on the helicopter which included an oil change and the removal of the oil pressure screen housing for an inspection. Maintenance personnel noticed that a small puddle of oil on the ramp at the spot where the aircraft initiated the departure.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,280 hours in all; 1,280 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,131 as pilot in command; 25 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,576 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 11, 1996; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360--D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL
- Runway 27, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from TPA, 10 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.
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.