Steve Kux's 500D prang in 97
 

Hello all,

I happened to come across "Destroyed in Seconds" on the Discovery Channel last night - which showed Steve Kux's H500D crash back in 1997.

You may have seen it, he's working on some sort of construction contract in Hawaii with a local named Tiny. Steve Kux is the pilot from Magnum PI, amongst other things.

He seems to get into some sort of control issue and comes into land - all caught on camera. Then suddenly about 5' off the ground, in what looks like a stable hover the aircraft rolls over and aft, ending up in a ditch. Tiny manages to lift the aircraft to help free Steve.

The show went onto say that the NTSB reported that "tiny flakes of metal" had interfered with the controls, but elsewhere on the Internet it's reported as "pilot error."

So I'm wondering if anyone knows the tail number or has a link to the NTSB report as I'd like to know what causes such an extreme movement from a hover.

Thanks in adv.
Mungs..

I have seen that footage on tv a few years ago. And while I never read a report on the incident itself, I always thought it may have been a high side govenor failure which he controled with increasing collective.

Just a thought.

Amazing feat from Tiny to lift that machine!

That video was presented during my 530F initial course at MD back in December. I seem to recall that the cause was a trim runaway, and the pilot became fatigued holding cyclic pressure after flying for some time, and the shop got away from him. Both times I have been to MD for emergency training, I have been given a trim runaway, and had to fly the helicopter back to Falcon Field with the malfunction. They teach you to use your leg, or a passenger, to help hold against the cyclic pressure, and to get it on the ground well before you wear yourself out.

That sound plausible, given how the aircraft rolled and flipped aft.

Thanks for the info folks.

Is there a link to the footage of the crash?

Not that I've been able to find - even on youtube.

try

Hughes 500 Rolls Over at Low Level

I think that's the one you are looking for.

Richard

Steve Kux trim runaway
 

accident was in 1988, NTSB Identification: LAX88LA179
N4943f. report indicates that the pilot reset the breaker for the trim. switch must have been shorted. just being a little out of trim is a lot of work so full deviation must have been hard. Kux lost the use of his left arm from accident and retired. (internet info?)

Steve Kux and the accident
 

Could you please direct me to the correct episode of Distroyed in seconds, as i would very much like to view the video. Steve Kux was my best friend growing up in Florida, and according to many of his fellow Marines, the best chopper pilot ever.

In the "Destroyed In Seconds" segment, the narrator refers to Tiny partly lifting the "four thousand pound helicopter"... last time I checked, a 500 weighs but a fraction of that. Love the sensationalism...

Here's the video:

Man Lifts Crashed Helo to Save Vet | Military.com

Looks like from a little research that he sadly lost his wife in February as well...

I grew up running around in the hangar my old man's company shared with Steve and he was such an awesome guy and mentor to have as an aviation brat. He flew CH-46's in Vietnam. One of his experiences is detailed here.

how-to-get