Hughes 269 accident near Stonington, Illinois, May 15, 1985
On May 15, 1985 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269 (helicopter), registered N7485F, was destroyed in an accident near Stonington, Illinois. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- May 15, 1985 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Stonington, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269 · all 269s on the register
- Registration
- N7485F · no longer on the register · serial 570599
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER COMPLETING A SWATH RUN, THE PLT MANEUVERED THE HELICOPTER UP OVER A POWER LINE, THEN MADE A TURN-AROUND FOR ANOTHER SWATH RUN. HE STATED THAT AS HE STARTED THE NEXT RUN, HE 'FELT THE WIND PUSH THE TAIL UPWARD FORCING THE NOSE DOWNWARD...' HE APPLIED AFT CYCLIC TO LEVEL THE HELICOPTER & FULL COLLECTIVE TO STOP THE DESCENT. HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE, THEN ROLLED FORWARD & CAME TO REST INVERTED. ABOUT 13 MI NORTHEAST AT DECATUR, IL, THE 1800 CDT WIND WAS FROM 280 DEG AT 16 KTS. THE PLT REPORTED THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 24 KTS.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,780 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 1,685 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,610 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 6, 1985; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from DEC, 13 miles away
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.