Hughes 269C accident near Dickens, Texas, October 27, 1988
On October 27, 1988 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N7463F, was destroyed in an accident near Dickens, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- October 27, 1988 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dickens, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7463F · registry record · serial 860534
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS INSPECTING A HERD OF CATTLE WHEN HE THOUGHT THE HELICOPTER WAS DEVELOPING A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AND MAIN ROTOR. HE STARTED AN AUTOROTATION, LOST TAIL ROTOR CONTROL, AND WENT INTO A LEFT SPIN WHICH CONTINUED TO CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION INDICATED AN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF THE TAIL ROTOR DUE TO A SHIFT OF THE TAIL BOOM AFTER FAILURE OF THE LEFT BOOM SUPPORT TUBE FITTING.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,373 hours in all; 2,373 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 2,302 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,736 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1988; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 235° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.