Hughes 500-369HS accident near Boca Raton, Florida, February 21, 1983
On February 21, 1983 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Hughes 500-369HS (helicopter), registered N2254X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boca Raton, Florida. It was a ferry 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 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
- February 21, 1983 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Boca Raton, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 500-369HS
- Registration
- N2254X · no longer on the register · serial 890110S
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THE FLT EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ENG POWER LOSS & THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY. ALL EXAMINATIONS & TESTS CONDUCTED DURING THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENG.
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
- Flight time: 1,783 hours in all; 1,427 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,368 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1983; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C18 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBI West Palm Beach FL at 9:27 am
- Destination: FLL Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 30,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from PBI, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N2254X 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.