Hughes 269C accident near Rialto, California, May 1, 2000
On May 1, 2000 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N5395S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rialto, California (Rialto Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student's misjudged altitude and failure to maintain rotor rpm while practicing an autorotation, and, the instructor's delayed remedial corrective action and inadequate supervision of the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2000 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rialto, California · Rialto Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5395S · no longer on the register · serial 100885
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter landed hard and rolled over during a practice autorotation. The CFI was providing dual instruction to his student, a CFI candidate. The student was handling all of the controls, and he intended to perform a 180-degree full touchdown autorotation. During the maneuver, the CFI observed that his student had allowed the airspeed to decrease and the main rotor rpm to become low. The CFI called the low rotor rpm situation to his student's attention. However, the student did not take decisive corrective action by initiating a power recovery in sufficient time to avoid the resultant low rotor rpm flare and hard touchdown. No mechanical malfunctions were noted.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Western Operations, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: L67 at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 187°F (86°C), dew point 135°F (57°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from ONT, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.