Hughes 269C accident near Englewood, Colorado, January 29, 2005
On January 29, 2005 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N9688F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight. Contributing factors were low rotor rpm, low airspeed, and the instructor's delay in taking remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 2005 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9688F · no longer on the register · serial 320133
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor and student pilot were practicing autorotations. The instructor demonstrated a "360 degree autorotation" and returned to an altitude of 600 feet agl. The student then executed the same maneuver. After he had turned approximately 270 degrees, the instructor noticed that the airspeed had dropped to 40 knots and a high rate of descent had developed. The instructor applied power and attempted to arrest the descent, but the helicopter made a hard landing on the right skid. The skid collapsed, all three rotor blade tips were bent, and the right side of the airframe was damaged as a result of the ground strike.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 725 hours in all; 179 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming H10-360-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mile High Helicopter Company
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 5:40 pm
- Destination: APA Englewood CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from APA
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.