Hughes 269D accident near Antrim, New Hampshire, January 28, 1987
On January 28, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269D (helicopter), registered N3624J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Antrim, New Hampshire (Hawthorme Feather 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
- January 28, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Antrim, New Hampshire · Hawthorme Feather
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269D · all 269Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3624J · no longer on the register · serial S1172
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PRACTICE HOVER, THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE HELICOPTER PITCHED UP AT AN ANGLE OF ABOUT 20-25 DEGREES CAUSING THE TAIL ROTOR TO CONTACT THE SNOW. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CFI STATED THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN HOVERING AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE OVER SOMETHING WHICH DEPTH PERCEPTION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EASILY CONFUSED.
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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 286 hours in all; 227 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 227 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,809 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1986; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Equitable Life Leasing
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.