Hughes 500C accident near Salina, Kansas, April 24, 2000
On April 24, 2000 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Hughes 500C (helicopter), registered N9177F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salina, Kansas. It was a personal 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 loss of tail rotor effectiveness and the autorotation performed by the pilot. The unfavorable wind was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2000 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2000
- Place
- Salina, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 500C
- Registration
- N9177F · registry record · serial 4304655
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported losing directional control while maneuvering backwards and turning into the prevailing wind, which he reported as a "little gusty". Recorded weather reported a wind speed of 11 knots 12 nm east of the accident site. The pilot then performed a hovering autorotation during which the helicopter contacted the terrain with a left drift. The Rotorcraft Flying Handbook describes the characteristics associated with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness resulting from certain combinations of wind azimuth and helicopter airspeeds. Metallurgical examination of the helicopter's tail rotor assembly revealed no preexisting anomalies.
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; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,139 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 9,332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,758 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1999; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLN KS at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 131°F (55°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from SLN, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9177F on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes 387 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 54 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Salina Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Kansas 1,147 since 1982 · 149 in the last ten years
- Kansas 5,752 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI00LA121.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.