Hughes 269C accident near Sandwich, Illinois, July 21, 1988
On July 21, 1988 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N7425F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sandwich, Illinois (Sandwich airport). 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
- July 21, 1988 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sandwich, Illinois · Sandwich · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7425F · no longer on the register · serial 860532
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHILE HE WAS CONDUCTING SPRAYING OPNS, HE NOTED A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF ENG POWER. HE MADE A RUN-ON LANDING IN A BEAN FIELD. AS HE LANDED, THE LEFT SKID DUG INTO A FURROW & THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, WHICH INCLUDED AN ENG TEARDOWN, NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR THE LOSS OF POWER.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,833 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 21, 1988; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sandwich IL at 11:50 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.