Hughes 269B accident near Paducah, Kentucky, July 14, 1997
On July 14, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9398F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paducah, Kentucky. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel to identify and correct the worn holes on the lower fuselage fairing and the failure of the flight instructor to maintain main rotor RPM during the autorotative landing. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's lack of recent experience in performing autorotations to a landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Paducah, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9398F · no longer on the register · serial 89-0129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot had departed from a confined area and were climbing through about 200 feet AGL, at 60 knots, when the engine lost power. The flight instructor took control of the helicopter and performed an autorotation to an open field. Both pilots reported the touchdown was harder than expected during which the right skid collapsed. The flight instructor had performed autorotations to a power recovery, but could not remember the last time he had performed a touchdown autorotation. The manufacturer reported that the blades had flapping damage, and indicated no significant rotation at impact. Examination of the helicopter revealed that the lower fuselage fairing had separated from the fuselage. After separation, the wire inside of the intake hose that supplied air to the fuel control unit pulled out and the intake hose collapsed into the engine air intake, and blocked it. The attachment holes on the lower fuselage fairing were found to be elongated.
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: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,848 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 1,712 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1996; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,760 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KY29 at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.