Hughes 369 accident near Crestview, Florida, May 10, 2024
On May 10, 2024 at about 8:25 pm local time, a 1980 Hughes 369 (helicopter), registered N969VS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crestview, Florida (Bob Sikes 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 pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing and the main rotor blades contacting the tail boom.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2024 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Crestview, Florida · Bob Sikes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369 D, built 1980 · all 369s on the register
- Registration
- N969VS · registry record · serial 1100833D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the day of the accident, the pilot had been practicing autorotations. The first was a power-on autorotation to the ground, followed by two hovering autorotations, all of which were uneventful. The pilot then briefed and set up for a power off autorotation to the ground. The entry began at 600 ft above ground level (agl) and the glide was normal. He set up a 70-knot glide speed and added collective to keep the rotor at 480 rpm. The helicopter was heavy with fuel and the added pilot-rated passenger, so the decent was faster than anticipated. The pilot reported that at 40 ft agl, he accomplished an “auto-rotative flare attitude” and that the “flare was not aggressive enough for the weight,” and as a result, he held the flare longer than usual. The ground speed bled off, but the leveling of the helicopter was not accomplished in a timely manner. The tail skid contacted the ground hard and the main rotor blades flexed down resulting in contact with the tail boom and the fuselage behind the rotor head. The helicopter’s tailboom and main rotor blades were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanic malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,719 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 8,026 as pilot in command; 3,891 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 20, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,790 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 8,628 as pilot in command; 5,357 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 25, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,976.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 4, 2023; 14.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C20B (turboshaft); 8,781 hours total
- Operator: Vertol Systems CO INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from CEW
Weather report (METAR): KCEW 102053Z AUTO 23005KT 10SM SCT019 BKN024 BKN029 27/22 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP105 60000 T02670217 58011
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 21, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.