Hughes 269B accident near Lewiston, Idaho, July 23, 2013
On July 23, 2013 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Hughes 269B (helicopter), registered N9484F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho (Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airp airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's incorrect application of the cyclic control during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2013 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Lewiston, Idaho · Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airp · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hughes 269B · all 269Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9484F · no longer on the register · serial 1160291
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was conducting a full down practice autorotation which involved landing the helicopter as the final step. During the landing, the helicopter bounced which resulted in the main rotor striking the tail boom, severing the tail rotor drive shaft. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had applied more forward cyclic after the helicopter had contacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Autorotation Attempted remediation/recovery
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 241 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 19, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,883 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Odonata LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KLWS Lewiston ID at 5:55 pm
- Destination: KLWS Lewiston ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from KLWS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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 N9484F 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.