Hughes 269A accident near Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska, September 19, 2012
On September 19, 2012 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N37754, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot’s entry into the autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the loss of engine power as a result of the student pilot rapidly lowering the helicopter’s collective and the partly obstructed air filter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2012 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mc Cool Junction, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N37754 · no longer on the register · serial 67-16774
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, about 400 feet above ground level and about 50 knots airspeed, the flight instructor reduced the throttle to idle so the student pilot could demonstrate an autorotation. The student dropped the collective to enter the autorotation, and the engine stopped producing power; the helicopter descended rapidly and landed hard. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed an obstructed air filter. It is likely that the student lowered the collective too quickly, which, combined with the obstructed air filter, created a rich fuel mixture and loss of engine power. The student pilot mismanaged the autorotation and the instructor did not intervene in a timely manner to prevent the hard landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during takeoff defining event
- Autorotation Off-field or emergency landing
- Autorotation Hard landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Incorrect service/maintenance
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,706 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Star City Flying Club LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Mccool Junction NE at 5:30 pm
- Destination: Mccool Junction NE
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KJYR, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N37754 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.