Hughes 269A accident near Council Bluffs, Iowa, August 31, 1997
On August 31, 1997 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N7058T, was destroyed in an accident near Council Bluffs, Iowa (Council Bluffs Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate supervision by the designated examiner by failing to ensure a timely autorotation recovery was initiated. A related factor was: the student pilot allowed the rotor rpm to diminish after the examiner simulated a loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1997 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Council Bluffs, Iowa · Council Bluffs Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N7058T · no longer on the register · serial 1081009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), reported that he was administering a Commercial, Rotorcraft-Helicopter Practical Test to an applicant (student). The DPE instructed the student to perform a 'simulated engine failure' from 450 agl over runway 13, and the DPE initiated the maneuver by reducing the throttle to idle. The student did not respond, and the rotor RPM decreased. After assessing the situation, the DPE took control of the helicopter. He tried to recover from the maneuver by decreasing the collective to the full down position, increasing the throttle, and applying slight forward cyclic. The DPE was unable to recover from the maneuver, and the helicopter impacted in a slight nose low attitude, then it bounced and came to rest on its left side. A witness to the accident said that he saw the helicopter at 50 to 75 feet above the ground before its forward speed stopped and it entered a steep, spiral descent. After reaching the accident site, the witness heard the student ask the DPE what had happened and if something failed. The DPE's response was, 'No...it was me, I failed.'
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,650 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,540 as pilot in command; 565 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CBF at 4:00 pm
- Destination: CBF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,100 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm from CBF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.