Hughes 269C accident near Hood River, Oregon, February 21, 1997
On February 21, 1997 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Hughes 269C (helicopter), registered N5160N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hood River, Oregon (Hood River airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 pilot-in-command's misjudgment of altitude and airspeed during a turn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1997 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hood River, Oregon · Hood River · 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
- N5160N · registry record · serial 1076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-in-command, a flight instructor, was conducting a demonstration flight to a prospective student. He executed a descending right turn out of a cyclic climb, during which he reported that he 'ran out of collective' and the helicopter impacted the terrain with the right rear skid. The pilot reported that he stopped in a hover, assessed the damage, and then hover taxied to a landing. Winds were calm at the time.
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: 550 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 460 as pilot in command; 160 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4S2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from DLS, 15 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.
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.