Hughes 269A accident near Pittstown, New Jersey, June 21, 1990
On June 21, 1990 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N110ES, was destroyed in an accident near Pittstown, New Jersey (Sky Manor airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
GROUND RESONANCE DUE TO INADEQUATE SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE OF THE LANDING GEAR DAMPERS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1990 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Pittstown, New Jersey · Sky Manor
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N110ES · registry record · serial 58-0860
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD JUST LANDED AFTER A SOLO HELICOPTER TRANSITION FLIGHT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN SHE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AND ROLLED OFF THE THROTTLE. THE HELICOPTER ENTERED GROUND RESONANCE AND WAS DESTROYED. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED ONE OF THE LANDING GEAR DAMPERS HAD DRIED HYDRAULIC FLUID RESIDUE ON THE BOOT AND PISTON, AND HAD COLLAPSED. TWO OTHER LANDING GEAR DAMPERS WERE ABLE TO BE COMPRESSED BY HAND. ACCORDING TO SCHWEIZER ACFT CO., PROPERLY SERVICED AND MAINTAINED LANDING GEAR DAMPERS WILL NOT COLLAPSE DURING 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: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 430 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 365 as pilot in command; 125 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,687 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 1990; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N40 Pittstown NJ at 5:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.