Hughes 369D accident near Jeffersontown, Kentucky, June 26, 2002
On June 26, 2002 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Hughes 369D (helicopter), registered N40AP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jeffersontown, Kentucky. 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 flight instructor's loss of lateral control when his foot slipped off the rudder pedal during a power-off, running landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2002 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Jeffersontown, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N40AP · registry record · serial 825D
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating a simulated engine failure during a takeoff. He began the maneuver from a 4-foot hover, and about 15 knots, as the helicopter was passing through translational lift, he rolled the power to ground idle. He performed a running landing; however, shortly after ground contact, his left foot slipped off the rudder pedal, and the helicopter's left skid dug into the ground. The helicopter then rolled to the left, and came to rest on its side. The flight instructor stated that he thought the helicopter had run over a rut during the running landing, which caused his foot to come off the rudder pedal.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,704 hours in all; 1,657 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,623 as pilot in command; 140 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 17, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,548 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 21, 2002; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Louisville KY at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from SDF, 10 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.