Hughes 269C accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, June 18, 1985
On June 18, 1985 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N5203V, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota (Mark Andrews 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1985 · about 8:45 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · Mark Andrews · cases near this 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
- N5203V · registry record · serial 1156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON JUNE 18, 1985, A STUDENT PLT AND HIS INSTRUCTOR WERE ON ALOCAL TNG FLT. PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE MISSION, THE INSTRUCTOR HAD HIS STUDENT EXECUTE A 180 DEGREE AUTOROTATION. DURING THE MANEUVER, THE MAIN ROTOR RPM WAS ALLOWED TO DECAY INTO THE CRITICAL RANGE WHICH RESULTED IN A HARD LANDING AND SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED THE HELICOPTER.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,661 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 1,374 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,215 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 7, 1985; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35R, 400 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5203V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Hughes 269 300 series helicopters 207 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 386 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-D1A 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grand Forks International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,495 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN85LA168.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.