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FTW90LA090

1990-04-03 · HOUSTON, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HOU

N9128F has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (PIPER PA-18-150, built 1978), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE FOR UNDERTEMINED REASONS AND THE PILOT MISJUDGING THE FLARE PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT OF THE TURBINE ENGINE HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN HE SMELLED WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS BURNING OIL. THE ENGINE FLAMED OUT A FEW SECONDS LATER. AN AUTOROTATIONAL DESCENT WAS ACCOMPLISHED TO AN OPEN SCHOOL YARD. DURING THE FLARE/TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT MISJUDGED AND A HARD LANDING OCCURRED RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF THE TAILBOOM WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK IT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_FTW90LA090.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.