Hughes 269A accident near Crowley, Texas, December 14, 2021
On December 14, 2021 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1963 Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N8827F, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Crowley, Texas. 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 student pilot’s encounter with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness during hover, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action that resulted in an emergency landing and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2021 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crowley, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A, built 1963 · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N8827F · no longer on the register · serial 43-0188
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot was receiving flight instruction in preparation for a helicopter hover endorsement. The flight instructor and student pilot planned to practice hovers with pedal turns to experience wind effect from varying directions. The winds at the time were about 12 kts from the south. While in a hover and making a turn to the northeast, the wind increased, and the helicopter quickly climbed to 75 feet agl. The flight instructor told the student pilot to position the helicopter into the wind and descend. As the student applied left pedal input, the instructor noticed the helicopter started to rotate toward the right. The instructor immediately took the flight controls and continued to apply full left pedal input while “slightly” lowering the collective and using the cyclic to move the helicopter into undisturbed air. The flight instructor reported that he suspected a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and performed a hovering autorotation to land on a field. The helicopter impacted the terrain upright. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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 control in flight during maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,405 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 2,345 as pilot in command; 1,494 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 9, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,669 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from FTW, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 7, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Email Request to Student Pilot - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Instructor - Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Log | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8827F 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.