Probable cause
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.
NTSB analysis
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.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA146 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 9, 2023
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Titusville, Florida
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Hughes 269A
- N-number
- N8911F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1963
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.