Hughes 269A accident near Marco Island, Florida, October 21, 1985
On October 21, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N9017E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marco Island, Florida. It was a business 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
- October 21, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marco Island, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N9017E · no longer on the register · serial 26-0460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE ON A PHOTOGRAPHIC FLT THE ENG LOST PWR & HE AUTOROTATED THE ACFT INTO THE WATER. AFTER THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED & RETURNED TO IT'S HOME BASE, THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS DRAINED & PURGED OF ALL FLUIDS, THE MAGNETOS WERE CLEANED, REINSTALLED & NEW FUEL WAS ADDED. THE ENG WAS STARTED & IT RAN NORMALLY, THEREFORE DUE TO THE ACFT'S BEING SUBMERGED IN THE OCEAN WATERS, NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE NATURE OF THE MALFUNCTION OF THE ENG AS DESCRIBED BY THE PLT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,184 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 178 in the last 90 days; 37,948 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,555 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-B60-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from FMY, 38 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.
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.