Hughes 269C accident near Columbia, California, August 25, 2003
On August 25, 2003 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N58363, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, California. It was an instructional 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 student pilot's improper execution of the autorotation. Also causal, was the CFI's delayed remedial action and 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
- August 25, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N58363 · registry record · serial 690796
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter collided with terrain during a practice autorotative landing in a open field. The CFI was preparing the student for his commercial helicopter add-on rating. During the fourth autorotation landing attempt, the student held the landing flare too long and too low to the ground. The CFI felt the tail rotor strike the ground. He then came on to the controls and landed the helicopter after it had yawed 180 degrees.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 847 hours in all; 725 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O22 Columbia CA
- Destination: O22 Columbia CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.