Summary
On May 11, 1990, a Hughes 369E (N5217N) was involved in an incident near Firebaugh, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: FAILURE BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE TO PERFORM A MANDATORY COMPRESSOR SECTION INSPECTION THAT RESULTED IN THE UNDETECTED EROSION OF THE COMPRESSOR VANES AND ENGINE FAILURE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE MAIN ROTOR RPM AT CRITICAL ALTITUDE.
This incident is documented in NTSB report LAX90LA171. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5217N.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
FAILURE BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE TO PERFORM A MANDATORY COMPRESSOR SECTION INSPECTION THAT RESULTED IN THE UNDETECTED EROSION OF THE COMPRESSOR VANES AND ENGINE FAILURE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE MAIN ROTOR RPM AT CRITICAL ALTITUDE.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX90LA171