Hughes 269C accident near Boulevard, California, December 8, 1984
On December 8, 1984 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N8663F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulevard, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- December 8, 1984 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Boulevard, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8663F · no longer on the register · serial 1070640
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS EXECUTING LOW LEVEL PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF VALLEYS IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. ACFT ENTERED A NARROW VALLEY WITH STEEPLY RISING TERRAIN AHEAD. WHEN PLT REALIZED EXCESSIVE RATE OF CLIMB WOULD BE REQUIRED TO CLEAR OBSTACLES, HE ATTEMPTED A STEEP TURN-AROUND WHILE ACFT WAS CLIMBING SHARPLY. ROTOR RPM DECAYED AND THE ACFT SETTLED INTO TREES AND BRUSH.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 22 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,685 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 29, 1984; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ramona CA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: CRQ Carlsbad CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Observation at 8:54 pm from CZZ, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.