Hughes 269B accident near Houma, Louisiana, December 11, 2006
On December 11, 2006 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9396F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houma, Louisiana (Houma-Terrebonne 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
A partial loss of engine power as a result of a cracked engine cylinder and broken spark plug which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was that it was not possible to attain proper rotor RPM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 2006 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Houma, Louisiana · Houma-Terrebonne Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9396F · no longer on the register · serial 840126
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 2,873-hour flight instructor, who reported having accumulated 550-hours in the same make and model helicopter, reported that during a training flight, while practicing touchdown autorotations, the helicopter shuttered with a slight vibration through the airframe on climb out. The flight instructor added that the vibration stopped and he elected to continue the climb turning toward a downwind leg for the next autorotation. The helicopter shuttered again, this time much more violently, while on the downwind leg. The pilot stated on the NTSB Form 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Accident/Incident Report, that "I felt like the gearbox was locking up or something." The rated student pilot who was flying the helicopter at the time then declared "you've got the controls" to the instructor. The flight instructor immediately entered autorotation and the shutter stopped. In an attempt to regain powered flight the instructor then reapplied throttle which immediately created a violent vibration again and he decided to roll throttle completely off and continue with the emergency landing. The altitude at the onset was approximately 400 feet above ground level (agl). The flight instructor initiated a 180-degree turn autorotation to align the helicopter into the prevailing wind. The flight instructor also stated that the transfer of controls and attempt to regain powered flight, followed by the delay in entering the autorational turn, created a low airspeed and low rotor RPM situation that made the successful landing not possible. The flight instructor stated that he "waited until the last second and pulled the collective up to the stops and prayed." The helicopter landed hard and managed to remain in the upright position. The flight instructor and the rated student pilot were not injured. An FAA inspector, who traveled to the site, noted that the spark plug and helicoil was broken out on the number two cylinder. Further inspection of the number two cylinder revealed three separate cracks in the cylinder wall. At the time of the accident, the winds were reported from 070 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots.
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: airline transport pilot, 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: 2,873 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 2,664 as pilot in command; 2,036 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,337 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO360A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHUM Houma LA
- Destination: KHUM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KHUM
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.