Hughes 269B accident near Pontiac, Michigan, August 26, 2001
On August 26, 2001 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9390F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland County International airport). 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 checklist not compiled with by the operator and not verified by the operator’s pilot and the operator's flight instructor. An additional cause was the improper autorotation by the pilot in command. The out of calibration engine idle speed was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2001 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pontiac, Michigan · Oakland County International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9390F · registry record · serial 74-00114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter impacted terrain during a simulated autorotation by the operator's pilot during training conducted by the operator's flight instructor. The helicopter experienced a total loss of engine power during the recovery from the autorotation. The aircraft checklist stipulates procedures to be used in checking engine idle speed to verify that it is in the range of 1,400-1,600 rpm. These checks, which are to be performed at the end of the last flight each day and prior to shutdown, were not being conducted by the operator. Inspection of the engine idle speed revealed it to be 700-800 rpm.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,900 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,938 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PTK
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.