Hughes 269B accident near Paso Robles, California, June 7, 1990
On June 7, 1990, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N691RR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paso Robles, 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THIS ACCIDENT WAS DYNAMIC ROLLOVER DUE TO THE TERRAIN SLOPE EXCEEDING THE CAPABILITY OF THE HELICOPTER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1990
- Place
- Paso Robles, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N691RR · registry record · serial 124-0143
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID HE WAS FLYING UP A VALLEY IN ROLLING HILL CONTRY AND ENCOUNTERED A SEVERE AND SUDDEN GUST OF WIND AS THE HELICOPTER FLEW OVER A RIDGE LINE AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE. THE PILOT SAID THE WIND GUST WAS ACCCOMPANIED BY STRONG TURBULENCE AND A SEVERE DOWN DRAFT. THE PILOT SAID THE HELICOPTER WAS FORCED DOWNWARD INTO THE GROUND AND HE WAS ABLE TO ARREST THE DESCENT AND MAKE A NORMAL SOFT TOUCH DOWN ON THE CREST OF THE RIDGE. THE PILOT SAID THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ON ITS SIDE JUST AFTER TOUCH DOWN.
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: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRB at 11:45 pm
- Destination: PRB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 23 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX90LA210.