Event ERA23LA146

2023-03-09 Titusville, Florida, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N8911F

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

HUGHES 269A

TCDS

4H12 · SCHWEIZER RSG LLC

Engine

LYCOMING HO-360 (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19631217

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AC4B8C

Registrant of record

A AND J AVIATION SERVICES LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N8911F Hughes 269A None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate main rotor RPM during an autorotation which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent rotor blade strike of the tail boom.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that he was demonstrating a 180° autorotation for his passenger into an open field off airport grounds. Nearing the end of the maneuver, prior to touchdown, he failed to recover engine power in a timely manner which resulted in the rapid decay of the rotor rpm at low altitude; this resulted in a hard landing that subsequently caused the main rotor blades to make contact with the tail boom and severed the tail rotor driveshaft. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no pre accident mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Prop/rotor parameters-Capability exceeded
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained
— Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip engine power section-Simulated malf/failure
— Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA146.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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