Hughes 269C accident near Scoffield, Utah, April 11, 1987
On April 11, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N9676F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scoffield, Utah. It was a personal 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Scoffield, Utah · 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
- N9676F · no longer on the register · serial 910124
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND HIS BROTHER WERE ON A LONG CROSS COUNTRY FLT, THROUGH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. AFTER ONE HOUR OF FLT AND WHILE FLYING AT 8,000 FEET THE PLT NOTICED A CHANGE IN ENGINE NOISE AND THE ACFT HAD A PARTIAL POWER LOSS. THE PLT ELECTED TO AUTOROTATE TO A SNOW COVERED SURFACE. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS ON A STEEP SLOPE AND THE HELICOPTER SLID DOWNSLOPE AND STRUCK TREES. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION SHOWED ONE MAGNETO NOT OPERATING PROPERLY.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 87 hours in all; 87 in the last 90 days; 87 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 31, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 2:15 pm
- Destination: 69V Huntington UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.