Hughes 269C accident near Mesa, Arizona, March 30, 1989
On March 30, 1989 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N58164, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. 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
IMPROPER FLARE BY THE STUDENT PILOT, AND IMPROPER SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1989 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · 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
- N58164 · no longer on the register · serial 940348
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) RPRTD THAT WHILE PRACTICING AN AUTOROTATION, THE STUDENT PLT DELAYED IN FLARING THE HELICOPTER. IT THEN TOUCHED DOWN HARD AS THE STUDENT APPLIED EXCESSIVE AFT CYCLIC. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,020 hours in all; 1,560 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,890 as pilot in command; 157 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Heli Services
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 10:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.
Other NTSB records under N58164 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.