Hughes 269B accident near Goleta, California, August 25, 1984
On August 25, 1984 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9380F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goleta, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1984 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Goleta, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9380F · no longer on the register · serial 640096
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS PRACTICING DURING SOLO FLT AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING AN AERIAL TAXI. THE STUDENT EXPLAINEDTHAT AFTER A NORMAL LANDING HE PULLED ENOUGH COLLECTIVE TO MAKE THE ACFT LIGHT ON THE SKIDS AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI ALONG THE GROUND BY ADVANCING THE CYCLIC CONTROL. THE ACFT SUDDENLY PITCHED FOWARD AND TO THE RIGHT. WHEN THE ROTOR BLADES HITTHE GROUND THE ACFT BROKE APART. AN INSPECTION SHOWED 3 FT OF THE RIGHT SKID WAS BROKEN OFF. NO PRE-EXISTING IRREGULARITIES WERE OBSERVED THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO 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: 57 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,999 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 12, 1984; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:49 pm from SBA, 6 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.
Other NTSB records under N9380F 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.