Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Brackett Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
La Verne, California 91750
Wednesday, May 23, 1990 9:20 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT HAD BEEN ASKED BY THE OPERATOR TO FLY THE HELICOPTER PRIOR TO THE OPERATORS SIGNING A LEASEBACK AGREEMENT WITH THE REPORTED OWNER. THE INITIAL AIR TAXI TO A HELIPAD WAS ABORTED WHEN THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO OSCILLATE DURING A GROUND RESONANCE EVENT. PRIOR TO THIS ATTEMPT THE OLEO STRUTS APPEARED TO BE OF EQUAL EXTENSION. AFTER THE EVENT, THE OLEO STRUTS WERE LOW AND ONE WAS FLAT. ABOUT 18 DAYS LATER, AND AFTER THE PILOT HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THE STRUTS HAD BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND THAT THE OWNER HAD BEEN FLYING THE HELICOPTER AFTER A PLANNED AIR TAXI TO A HELIPAD. THE HELICOPTER AGAIN EXPERIENCED A GROUND RESONANCE EVENT WITH SEVERE OSCILLATIONS TO THE POINT OF DESTRUCTION. THE PILOT SAID HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AND DECREASED THE THROTTLE WHEN THE OSCILLATIONS BEGAN. ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND COMPONENTS OF THE HELICOPTER FOR TESTING WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
GROUND RESONANCE DUE TO AN INADEQUATELY MAINTAINED STRUT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/23/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 920 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | LA VERNE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 91750 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | BRACKETT FIELD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | POC |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 997 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2360 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 52859 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 4:58PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8793F |
| NTSB Number | LAX90LA186 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | HUGHES |
| Aircraft Model | 269A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 269A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 0125A |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1550 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 2 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SAM CLEMENS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 203 MORNINGSIDE TERRACE |
| Aircraft Owner City | RICHMOND |
| Aircraft Owner State | MO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 64085 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | RANDY POLOUS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | BRACKETT AIRPORT |
| Operator City | LA VERNE |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 91750 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | POC |
| Departure City | LA VERNE |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 920 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Taxi |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |