Hughes 269C accident near Brooks, Oregon, November 24, 1985
On November 24, 1985 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N58181, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brooks, Oregon. It was a personal 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
- November 24, 1985 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brooks, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N58181 · no longer on the register · serial 480682
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED DUE TO THE NUMBER 4 CYLINDER FAILING. A TAIL BOOM STRIKE OCCURRED DURING A HARD LANDING IN A PARKING LOT, SEVERING THE TAIL BOOM.
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: 785 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 680 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,650 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 29, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RBG Roseburg OR at 8:50 pm
- Destination: PDX Portlande OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:00 pm
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.