Hughes 269A accident near Danbury, New Hampshire, June 1, 2024

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The student pilot was working on adding a helicopter rating to his existing private pilot certificate and was on a solo flight to practice some landing approaches at a nearby airport. After completing the practice approaches and refueling the helicopter, the pilot flew back to his property. The pilot reported that when he entered a hover to land, the helicopter started to turn to the right “very fast.” The pilot applied full force to the left anti-torque pedal, but the helicopter continued to turn to the right. The helicopter then impacted trees and terrain. A postimpact fire consumed most of the helicopter. The weather reported at an airport about 17 nautical miles from the accident site included wind at 7 knots, with gusts to 22 knots. The pilot’s solo endorsement limited him to flights in wind conditions less than 13 knots. Following the accident, the pilot reported that he did not believe that there had been a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation of the helicopter and that a wind gust had “caught” him, which resulted in the loss of control. The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector at the accident site. While the examination was limited given the extent of the fire damage, the inspector did not observe any anomalies with the helicopter’s anti-torque system 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.

Photographs from the investigation 7 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them

Photograph 1 – Wreckage overviewPhotograph 2 – Wreckage overviewPhotograph 3 – Main rotor assembly and drive shaftPhotograph 4 – Drive belt pulleyPhotograph 5 – Tail rotor assemblyPhotograph 6 – Tail rotor assemblyPhotograph 7 – Tail rotor drive shaft

The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.

Other NTSB records under N8045H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time