Hughes 269 accident near Boise City, Oklahoma, July 17, 1982
On July 17, 1982 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Hughes 269 (helicopter), registered N8873F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise City, Oklahoma. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- July 17, 1982 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Boise City, Oklahoma
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269 · all 269s on the register
- Registration
- N8873F · no longer on the register · serial 63-0241
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD COMPLETED CONDUCTING TESTS WITH DYED WATER TO DETERMINE SPRAY PATTERN & COVERAGE AFTER RECENTLY INSTALLING SPECIAL PURPOSE AERIAL APPLICATION EQUIPMENT. WHILE APPROACHING FOR A LANDING AT A FORWARD SPEED OF 15-20 MPH & DESCENDING RAPIDLY HE APPLIED THROTTLE & COLLECTIVE TO FLARE. THE PLT STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN NECESSARY POWER TO FLARE & THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NEAR-LEVEL ATTITUDE COLLAPSING THE RIGHT LANDING SKID.
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: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 913 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 809 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,111 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Miller Aero
The flight
- Departed from: Boise City OK at 8:45 am
- Destination: Boise City OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 167°F (75°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.
Other NTSB records under N8873F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.