Hughes 269C accident near San Antonio, Texas, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N9664F, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Antonio, Texas (Stinson Fld. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 3, 1985
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · Stinson Fld. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9664F · no longer on the register · serial 210095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A ZERO GROUND SPEED PRACTICE AUTOROTATION. A HIGH SINK DEVELOPED AFTER AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT FOR DECREASING ROTOR RPM, THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED THE GROUND TAIL FIRST AND ROLLED OVER AFTER THE MAIN ROTOR SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM. AN EXPERIENCED HELICOPTER PLT WHO WITNESSES THE ACCIDENT STATED THAT THE AUTOROTATIONS WERE TERMINATED ABRUPTLY WITH AN EXTREMELY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,111 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 1985; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: San Antonio TX at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.