Hughes 269A accident near Dallas, Texas, February 17, 1996
On February 17, 1996 at about 2:00 am local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N8897F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dallas, Texas (Addison airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the unqualified helicopter pilot to maintain control of the helicopter. Factors relating to the accident were: his lack of total experience in helicopters and his improper decision to attempt to hover without appropriate training/endorsement for flight in the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1996 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · Addison · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N8897F · no longer on the register · serial 830274
- 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 owner of a newly purchased helicopter was a student pilot. He decided to make a maintenance run-up and to perform an operational check of the newly installed radios. The student stated that his intentions were to bring the helicopter into a hover, but remain in the same location. After lift-off, the student lost control of the helicopter. Subsequently, it touched down hard, rolled over, and came to rest on its side. According to his logbook, the student pilot/owner of the helicopter had accumulated a total of 88.6 hours in single engine airplanes, of which 0.6 hours were solo. He stated that he had accumulated 2.5 hours in the accident helicopter before the accident.
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: student
- Flight time: 3 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,925 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS at 2:00 am
- Destination: ADS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N8897F 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.