Hughes 269B accident near Medina, Ohio, August 28, 1982
On August 28, 1982 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9307F, was destroyed in an accident near Medina, Ohio (Freedom Field). It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1982 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Medina, Ohio · Freedom Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B 269-B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9307F · no longer on the register · serial 123-0009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AT ABOUT 800 FEET AGL HE FELT A VIOLENT VIBRATION LASTING FOR 2 OR 3 SECONDS. HE REENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG TO THE AIRPORT AND EXPERIENCED THE VIBRATION AGAIN. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLABLE SPIRAL TO THE RIGHT AND CONTACTED THE GROUND. INSPECTION OF THE TAIL ASSEMBLY REVEALED AN INFLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT. EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE FRACTURE WAS NOTED IN THE TAIL ASSEMBLY ATTACH POINTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,791 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CAK Akron OH at 12:10 pm
- Destination: CAK Akron OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from CAK
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.
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.