Hughes 269C accident near St.Petersburg, Florida, June 8, 1985
On June 8, 1985 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N8657F, was substantially damaged in an accident near St.Petersburg, Florida (Albert Whitted airport). 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 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
- June 8, 1985 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- St.Petersburg, Florida · Albert Whitted
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C 269-C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8657F · no longer on the register · serial 7-0660
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDING AFTER A TRAINING FLIGHT WITH AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND A NON-RATED-NON-CERTIFICATED STUDENT PILOT ON BOARD. AS THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN A SEVERE RESONANT VIBRATION STARTED. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO LIFT OFF THE GROUND BUT THE COLLECTIVE IMPUT GAVE NO RESPONSE. THE CLUTCH PULLEY BRACKET WAS FOUND FAILED DUE TO OVERLOAD. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE VIBRATION AS TYPICAL OF GROUND RESONANCE.
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; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,360 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 2,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 4, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPG St. Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from SPG, 1 miles away
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.