Hughes 269A accident near Campbellsville, Kentucky, October 3, 1997
On October 3, 1997 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N269SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Campbellsville, Kentucky. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot refueled the helicopter with jet fuel instead of avgas, which resulted in a loss of engine power. A related factor was the unsuitable terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1997 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Campbellsville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N269SS · no longer on the register · serial 67-16733
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that about 3 minutes into the flight, the engine began to lose power. An autorotation was performed to a downhill, sloping field. The left skid contacted the ground, followed by the right skid, and the helicopter cartwheeled onto its nose. An examination of the helicopter, and the fuel slip which the pilot signed, revealed that it was refueled with jet A fuel instead of 100 LL Avgas. The pilot had radioed that he wanted a 'quick turn.' Upon his arrival the attendant was waiting by the fuel pumps. The pilot does not recall if the attendant gave him the nozzle, but the pilot refueled the helicopter. He stated that the accident could have been prevented if the markings on the fuel pumps were more visible, and that the nozzles on jet A pumps should not be made to fit Avgas fuel tanks.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,756 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 3,950 as pilot in command; 651 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,299 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1997; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming H1O-360-BIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AAS KY at 8:55 pm
- Destination: Colombia KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.