Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 accident near Lihue, Hawaii, June 4, 1988
On June 4, 1988 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 (helicopter), registered N53EP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lihue, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE TO TRANSMISSION DRIVE SHAFT ENGINE COUPLING DUE TO AN ANGULAR MISALIGNMENT OF THE DRIVE SHAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1988 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lihue, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 · all FH-1100s on the register
- Registration
- N53EP · no longer on the register · serial 182
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN NORMAL CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NO LONGER DRIVING THE ROTOR SYSTEM. THE PILOT ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION AND HAD TO STRETCH THE GLIDE SLIGHTLY TO A SUITABLE LANDING AREA ON AN OFF SHORE REEF. THE HELICOPTER MADE A HARD LANDING ON THE REEF IN ABOUT ONE FOOT OF WATER. ON SITE EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER BY FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS REVEALED THAT THE BENDIX COUPLING ON THE ENGINE TO TRANSMISSION SHAFT HAD RUPTURED ON THE ENGINE END OF THE SHAFT. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED COUPLING REVEALED A FATIGUE FRACTURE IN A CIRCUMFERENTIAL ORIENTATION ON THE COUPLING DISK. THE DRIVE SHAFT COUPLINGS ARE THE SUBJECT OF A RECURRING AD WHICH MANDATES ALIGNMENT MEASUREMENTS OF THE DRIVE SHAFT EVERY 100 HOURS. THE LAST ALIGNMENT CHECK WAS DONE ABOUT 60 HOURS PRIOR 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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,032 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 5,846 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,023 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 13, 1988; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LIH Lihue HI at 9:56 pm
- Destination: LIH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.