Hughes 269C accident near Eldon, Washington, June 19, 1996
On June 19, 1996 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N7400F, was destroyed in an accident near Eldon, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the connecting rod cap, which resulted in loss of engine power and ditching at sea.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1996 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Eldon, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7400F · no longer on the register · serial 250397
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight over Hood Canal, the rotorcraft began shaking, and a ground witness heard a 'pop' and observed white smoke. The pilot-in-command executed an intentional ditching, but was unable to swim to shore. The passenger survived. Postcrash examination revealed that the Lycoming HIO-360-D1A engine's number two connecting rod assembly had failed when the cap end had separated. Metallurgical examination revealed that the connecting rod cap had failed from fatigue and that both connecting rod bolts had failed in overload. The fatigue was associated with fretting within the rod cap inner face between the face and the bearing surface.
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: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 121 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,440 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 1996; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Olympic Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SHN Shelton WA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: CLM Port Angeles WA
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from PWT, 11 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N7400F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.