Hughes 269B accident near Cross Plaines, Indiana, December 10, 1986
On December 10, 1986 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N8982F, was destroyed in an accident near Cross Plaines, Indiana. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- December 10, 1986 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Cross Plaines, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8982F · no longer on the register · serial 0190
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & OBSERVER WERE ON A POWER LINE PATROL FLT. WHILE PROCEEDING SOUTHBOUND, THEY APCHD AN AREA WERE THE LINES WERE ABOUT 23 FT AGL & WERE CROSSED BY ANOTHER SET OF POWER LINES, ORIENTED IN AN EAST-WEST DIRECTION. THE OTHER POWER LINES WERE ABOUT 45 FT AGL WITH 2 STATIC LINES APRX 15 FT HIGHER (60 FT AGL). BEFORE REACHING THE PERPENDICULAR LINES, THERE WAS A PROMINENT MARKER ON THE 4TH POLE NORTH OF THE HIGHER LINES THAT WARNED OF THE CROSSING POWER LINES, 1000 FT AHEAD. AS THE HELICOPTER WAS CROSSING THE PERPENDICULAR LINES, THE RGT SKID BECAME ENTANGLED WITH THE NORTH STATIC LINE. THE HELICOPTER THEN NOSED DOWN & COLLIDED WITH THE LOWER SET OF LINES THAT WERE BEING INSPECTED. IT THEN CRASHED TO THE GND & BURNED. THE HELICOPTER WAS EXTENSIVELY DMGD BY GND FIRE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT.
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; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,600 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,898 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 25, 1986; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SER Seymour IN at 6:15 pm
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from LOU, 30 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.
Other NTSB records under N8982F 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.