Hughes 269B, N9390F, fatal accident occurred on October 6, 2026, near Medley, West Virginia

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this writing will be corrected when/if the NTSB preliminary report is released.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N9390F

- History of Flight:
On October 6, 2026, at about 1652 local time, a privately-registered Hughes 269B helicopter, N9390F, was destroyed when it impacted open field terrain near Medley, West Virginia. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The local flight originated from the area.

The circumstances of the accident are unknown. There is no ADS-B data for the accident flight or any recent flight history.

The pilot, aged 72, held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land and multi engine land ratings. He also held commercial privileges for airplane single engine and multi engine sea, rotorcraft helicopter, instrument helicopter, and a glider rating. He held type ratings in the Boeing 727, DC-8, Emb-110, HS-125, and SA-227. The pilot also held a flight instructor certificate with an airplane single and multi engine land and instrument ratings. He also held a ground instructor, a flight engineer, and mechanic certificates. His FAA BasicMed Course was dated 3/16/2025.

The accident helicopter, serial number 74-0114, was most recently issued a certificate on 6/11/2026. It was a two-seat helicopter and powered by a Lycoming HIO-360-A1A reciprocating engine rated at 180 Horsepower.

There was a nearby private use airstrip to the accident site, Heaven's Landing Airstrip (4WV4), which is located 1 mile west of Medley. This airstrip was owned by the pilot and his wife and featured a 2000 x 60 ft. turf runway 6/24. The helicopter's registration address was this airstrip, also registered to the airstrip/pilot was a 1978 Cessna 172N Skyhawk, N6137E, that was recently flown on September 25, 2026.

- Weather:

METAR KW99 062035Z AUTO 08003KT 10SM CLR 19/03 A3008 RMK AO2 T01860026 $

METAR KW99 062055Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 19/03 A3008 RMK AO2 T01860032 56030 $