Hughes 269A accident near Emmett, Idaho, April 10, 1998
On April 10, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Hughes 269A (helicopter), registered N5161E, was destroyed in an accident near Emmett, Idaho. It was an instructional 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
The instructor pilot's failure to maintain the proper rate of descent on landing. Factors were a sudden wind shift, the instructor pilot's lack of recent experience, and terrain drop-off.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Emmett, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269A · all 269As on the register
- Registration
- N5161E · no longer on the register · serial 56-0559
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor and the student pilot departed on a training flight with the intention of practicing off airport landings. The instructor maneuvered the helicopter towards a plateau with cliffs on three of its sides, and initiated a demonstration of a pinnacle landing. He then noticed the development of an excessive sink rate and wind change and attempted to correct with collective and throttle. Shortly thereafter, he reached the stop on the throttle and the RPM began decaying. The instructor lowered collective and the rotorcraft impacted the ground hard bouncing back into the air 10-12 feet before striking the ground a second time, during which the tail rotor impacted the ground. Directional control was lost and the rotorcraft rolled over the edge of the plateau and down a steeply sloped embankment. The instructor pilot had logged only 3 hours of flight time, all in the accident aircraft make within the previous 90 days. A weather observation recorded at the Caldwell airport 11 nm south of the accident site reported winds from 110 degrees at 9 knots with gusts to 14 knots. The instructor pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the rotorcraft during the flight.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 613 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 565 as pilot in command; 397 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,730 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:36 pm from EUL, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.