Hughes TH-55 accident near Paintsville, Kentucky, June 6, 2005
On June 6, 2005 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Hughes TH-55 (helicopter), registered N2KX, was destroyed in an accident near Paintsville, Kentucky (Paintsville-Prestonsburg-Combs airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent encounter with ground resonance which resulted in destruction of the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2005 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Paintsville, Kentucky · Paintsville-Prestonsburg-Combs · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes TH-55 · all TH-55s on the register
- Registration
- N2KX · no longer on the register · serial 66-18349
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to perform a cyclic-rigging check, and a rotor-rpm check during autorotation. The pilot and a friend performed a preflight inspection, and neither noted any mechanical deficiencies. The pilot started the helicopter, and performed the run-up checks, to include the magneto check and the rotor-engagement check with the helicopter "light on the skids." The pilot then completed the before takeoff checks, and initiated a takeoff to a hover. As the pilot applied collective pitch and power for takeoff, he felt a few bumps. He was aware of the phenomena of ground resonance, and continued applying collective pitch and power, but the helicopter would not take off. Within seconds, he had no control of the helicopter, as it disintegrated around him. The friend's version of the events leading up to the accident was consistent with the pilot/owner's. According to the witness, "It happened so fast! It started to shake, a blade hit the tailboom, and it shook to pieces." He added that the helicopter never left the ground, and that it rocked side-to-side two or three times before it came apart.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,848 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3I6 Paintsville KY at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 3I6
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from JKL, 27 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2KX: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Hughes TH-55 20 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Hughes 387 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Kentucky 702 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Kentucky 2,981 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD05LA075.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.