Hughes 269C accident near Millersville, Illinois, June 6, 1989
On June 6, 1989 at about 12:48 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N7439F, was destroyed in an accident near Millersville, 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
LOSS OF ROTOR RPM FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON DURING A TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION WHILE APPLYING AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1989 · about 12:48 pm local time
- Place
- Millersville, Illinois · 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
- N7439F · no longer on the register · serial 460489
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AFTER THE ROTOR RPM DECAYED DURING A TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION WHILE APPLYING AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS.
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, military
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,098 hours in all; 1,002 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 3,586 as pilot in command; 774 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,615 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1989; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from SPI, 34 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.