Hughes 269C accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, March 30, 1991
On March 30, 1991 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N8656F, was destroyed in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. 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
THE INSTRUCTOR'S IMPROPERLY PLANNED APPROACH. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBSERVE PERFORMANCE DATA FOR THE HELICOPTER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1991 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · 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
- N8656F · no longer on the register · serial 1170645
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ENTERED A NORMAL PRACTICE AUTOROTATION. HE NOTED ROTOR IN THE GREEN, 55 KIAS, AND THE AIRCRAFT IN TRIM. JUST PRIOR TO THE ALTITUDE WHERE HE WOULD HAVE BEGUN A DECELERATION, ABOUT 50-100 FEET AGL, HE NOTED THE AIRSPEED HAD BLED TO ABOUT 20 KIAS AND THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEVELOPED A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT. HE ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM A POWER RECOVERY, BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND AND LANDED HARD. THE TAIL ROTOR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR. THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN LANDED HARD, THEN ROLLED OVER. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK, THE ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED WHERE THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A RECOVERY WAS WITHIN A FLIGHT AVOIDANCE AREA, WHICH PREVENTED THE PILOT FROM PERFORMING REMEDIAL ACTION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,575 hours in all; 712 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 2,974 as pilot in command; 1,317 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-01A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hawaii International Hel.
The flight
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.