Hughes TH-55 accident near Bushnell, Florida, December 9, 1997
On December 9, 1997 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Hughes TH-55 (helicopter), registered N74914, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bushnell, Florida (Hernando County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees during a hover. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1997 · about 8:20 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Bushnell, Florida · Hernando County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes TH-55 · all TH-55s on the register
- Registration
- N74914 · registry record · serial 67-15442
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated he drifted too close to trees during a hover, and the rotor blades stuck the tree limbs. The helicopter then crashed onto a road. The student pilot stated that he was showing off for his daughter, who was on the ground, and not paying attention to the tree limbs.
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: student
- Flight time: 53 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKV Brooksville FL at 6:30 pm
- Destination: BKV FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:31 pm from BKV, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N74914 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N74914 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes TH-55 20 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 387 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,704 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N74914 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL98LA021.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.